Lady of the Night: Year Two
by avatargrl11
Summary: Gabrielle returns for her second year at Hogwarts, and is in for another year of craziness when people start to be Petrified. Now she, Harry, Hermione and Ron have to find out who's causing these attacks.
1. Chapter 1

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER ONE:**

* * *

I sighed, biting my lip as I waited for C.V. to speak. He'd summoned me to his study fifteen minutes ago, and still hadn't told me why. Finally, he looked up at me over his steepled fingers. "Girl. I have a...formal gathering of sorts tonight. I expect you to attend." He motioned for me to leave, but I didn't move. He looked at me expectantly. "What is it, girl?" I clenched my teeth. _Just once, couldn't he call me by name? _"Um...this gathering...does it involve...vampires?"

"What intuition you must have." I noted the sarcasm dripping from his voice as he got up to study one of his books. "Indeed, it is a gathering of vampires. You are still expected to attend."

"But-" He whirled around, his eyes turning gold. "Girl, if you wish to remain here, you _will_ do as I say, understood?" I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry. "Very well. Renfield will help you prepare. Renfield!" Immediately, Renny came in, bowing to C.V. "Yes, Master?"

"Help the girl with her wardrobe. I expect her to look presentable for the gathering. If she is not, the consequences will be extremely severe, understood?" Renny gulped. "Yes, Master." He bowed to C.V. again, and led me out of the study.

* * *

"I think I can't breathe, Renny." Renny chuckled. "If you could not breathe, you would have a very hard time talking, Miss Gabrielle." I smiled at this. "Point taken."

"There. Finished." I studied myself in the full-length mirror that C.V. had Renny buy for my room. "Not bad, Renny." My hair flowed freely to my waist, and I was wearing a light blue silk dress. I had on white high heels, and my silver crucifix was in place.

"Are you ready, Miss Gabrielle?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me just Gabrielle?"

"Very well, then. Are you ready, Just Gabrielle?" I laughed, smacking Renny lightly on the arm. "Stop that! Yeah, I'm ready."

* * *

Two hours later, I stopped at the doors to the grand dining hall C.V. only used on occasions like this. Most of the time, I preferred to eat in the kitchen with Renny. The dining hall could easily seat fifty at a time. I took a deep breath, and nodded at Renny. He pushed the doors open, escorting me inside. Immediately, the hall fell silent as all the vampires turned to look at me. Finally, one vampire, a tall, rather pretty looking female, laughed. "Well, well, well, Count! You didn't tell us you were providing drinks!" Another vampire nodded. "Though I would have expected more than just one." As they began to advance on me, Renfield stepped in front of me, and C.V. spoke in his ice-cold voice. "She is not for drinking."

"Oh? Then why is she here?"

"The girl is my ward." One of the vampires burst into laughter. "Count, you're going soft! Taking in human children!" Before I could blink, C.V. was standing beside the vampire, and ripped his heart out. The vampire immediately turned to dust. C.V. turned to look at the others. "Anyone else have anything to say?" They all shook their heads. "Good."

* * *

Five hours later, I collapsed, shaking onto my bed. The "gathering" had just ended, and Renny had to escort me back to my room, to ensure no vampires tried to attack me along the way. I covered my eyes with my left hand. "Why did he make me attend, Renny? What did I do to make him that angry?" Renny sighed. "You have done nothing to anger the Master, Gabrielle. He simply wanted to show you off." I removed my hand from my eyes, sat up, and stared at Renny. "Come again?"

"Apparently, the Master was impressed enough with the potential he saw in you to make him want to show you off." I scoffed. "If he's so impressed with me, why didn't he let me go visit the Weasleys?"

"I really do not know the workings of the Master's mind."

"You told me that last year."

"And it is true this year as well." He pulled out a letter. "Your letter came while you were with the Master in his study." I took it and looked down at the list:

_**SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:  
**_

_**The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2  
**_

**by Miranda Goshawk  
**

_**Break with a Banshee **_**b****y Gilderoy Lockhart **

_**Gadding with Ghouls **_**b****y Gilderoy Lockhart**

_**Holidays with Hags **_**by Gilderoy Lockhart**

_**Travels with Trolls **_**by Gilderoy Lock****hart**

_**Voyages with Vampires **_**by ****Gilderoy Lockhart**

_**Wanderings with Werewolves **_**by Gilderoy Lock****hart**

_**Year with the Yeti **_**by Gilderoy Lockhart**

Renny sighed, looking over my shoulder at the list. "Oh, dear."

"What?"

"The Master has never been a fan of Gilderoy Lockhart, especially after he wrote _Voyages with Vampires_."

"Wise vampire." Renny chuckled. "Yes, that particular book made Lockhart very unpopular in the vampire community, just as _Wanderings with Werewolves _made him unpopular with werewolves."

"Well, I can certainly see why. That man's an idiot."

* * *

Two days later, Renny and I stood in Diagon Alley, when I spotted Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys. "Hey! Guys!" I ran over to them, grinning widely, with Renny following behind. Hermione looked up, and squealed in excitement upon seeing me. "Evangeline! It's so good to see you! Why didn't you answer any of my letters?"

"Um...I guess they didn't find me." They nodded. "All right." We looked over at Mr. Weasley, who was wringing Hermione's father's hand, and inviting them to a drink. Ron told Hermione that we'd meet her back out front, and we headed for our vaults. I felt guilty when I saw the near-empty contents of the Weasley's vault. Harry seemed to have a decent sized amount. But when we reached C.V.'s vault, they stared in shock at how much was in there. "Is your uncle a thief?"

Mrs. Weasley started scolding Ron, especially since Renny was standing right there. Renny chuckled. "No insult taken, Mrs. Weasley. I have simply had many years to accumulate my wealth. _Many_ years." I bit back my laughter at this.

* * *

Back outside, we all parted ways. Percy the Prefect muttered about needing a new quill; Fred and George had spotted Lee Jordan; Mrs. Weasley and Ginny headed off to a secondhand robe shop; and Mr. Weasley insisted on taking Hermione's parents to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink. Renny told Mrs. Weasley that he'd keep an eye on the four of us, and she began walking off with Ginny, but not before shouting back at us, "We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your school books." She turned to the twins. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley!"

We headed down the street, and I insisted upon treating us to five large strawberry-and-peanut-butter-ice creams. Harry tried to pay, but I told him to "Shut up and eat your stupid ice cream." This caused Ron to begin choking on his ice cream in laughter, and Hermione had to pound him on the back for a full minute before he was able to breathe properly.

After that, we examined the shop windows, and Ron stared longingly at a full set of Chudley Cannons robes in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies before Hermione dragged him off by the collar so we could buy ink and parchment next door. In Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, we ran into the twins and Lee, who were stocking up on Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks. In a tiny junk shop full of broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered with potion stains we found Percy, deeply immersed in a book entitled, _Prefects Who Gained Power_.

"_A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers._ That sounds _fascinating_." Percy glared at Ron. "Go away."

"'Course, he's very ambitious, Percy. He's got it all planned out. He wants to be Minister of Magic someday." Ron told us quietly as we left the shop.

* * *

An hour later, we headed for Flourish and Blotts. We were in no way the only ones headed for the bookshop. A large crowd stood outside the door, trying to get in. I looked up and saw a sign hanging over the door:

**GILDEROY LOCKHART**

**will be signing copies of his autobiography**

_**MAGICAL ME**_

**today 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.  
**

Hermione squealed in excitement and I rolled my eyes as she bounced up and down. "We can actually meet him! I mean, he's written almost the entire booklist!" I surveyed the crowd, and was unsurprised to see that most of the crowd was made up of witches. A tired-looking wizard stood at the entrance, saying, "Calmly, please, ladies...Don't push, now...mind the books, please..."

We squeezed inside, and each grabbed a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_, then sneaked up the line to where the rest of the Weasleys were standing with Mr. and Mrs. Granger. "Oh, there you are, good," Mrs. Weasley said while patting her hair. "We'll be able to seem him in a minute..."

He came into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all of them winking and flashing extremely white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue which matched his eyes perfectly. I felt like throwing up. A short, irritable-looking man moved around, holding a camera. "Out of the way, there," he snarled at Ron. "This is for the _Daily Prophet_-"

"Big deal," Ron said, rubbing his foot where the reporter had stepped on it. Lockhart looked up, saw Harry, and lept up. "It _can't_ be Harry Potter?!"  
Lockhart dived forward, grabbed Harry's arm, and pulled him forward. The crowd burst into applause. The reporter was taking photos like crazy, wafting thick purple smoke over me, Renny, the Weasleys and the Grangers. Finally, Lockhart stopped wringing Harry's hand, and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Ladies and gentlemen, what an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time! When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography-which I shall be happy to present to him now, free of charge-" The crowd burst into applause again, "He had _no idea_, that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, _Magical Me_. He and his schoolmates, will, in fact, be getting the real magical me."

_Please, please, please, don't say it.  
_

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" The crowd cheered and clapped. I looked up at Renny, and saw his face frozen in both shock and disgust. I had a feeling that I looked the same.

Harry was given the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. He staggered over to Ginny and dumped the books in her new cauldron. "You have these. I'll buy my own." Just then, an all-too-familiar drawl came from behind us. "Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" We turned to see Draco Malfoy standing behind us, his perpetual sneer on his face. "_Famous_ Harry Potter. Can't even go into a _bookshop_ without making the front page." Ginny finally spoke. "Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!"

A smirk spread across Malfoy's face. "Potter, you've got yourself a _girlfriend_!" Ginny went as red as her hair when Ron and Hermione walked over. Ron wrinkled his nose when he saw Malfoy. "Oh, it's _you_. Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley. I suppose your parents will have to go hungry for a month in order to pay for all those." Ron went as red as Ginny. He dropped his books in the cauldron alongside Ginny's and started towards Malfoy, but we grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Ron!" We looked up as Mr. Weasley came over with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

"Well, well, well-Arthur Weasley." I saw a man approaching that could only be Draco's father. "Lucius."

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear. All those raids...I hope they're paying you overtime?" He reached down into Ginny's cauldron, and withdrew a very old copy of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_. His lip curled. "Obviously not. Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?" Mr. Weasley's eyes narrowed. "We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy."

"Clearly." Mr. Malfoy glanced over at Mr. and Mrs. Granger. "The company you keep, Weasley...and I thought your family could sink no lower-" He didn't get to finish his sentence, seeing as Mr. Weasley had lept at him. I could hear Fred and George cheering their dad on. Mrs. Weasley was shrieking for him to stop. Finally, we heard, louder than all, "Break it up, there, yeh two, break it up-" Hagrid pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an _Encyclopedia of Toadstools_. He threw Ginny's old Transfiguration book at her, eyes glittering with anger. "Here, girl-take your book-it's the best your father can give you-" With that, he swept out of the shop, followed by Draco.

"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur. Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everybody knows that-no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter-bad blood, that's what it is-come on, now-let's get outta here." Hagrid led us outside. The Grangers were shaking with fright, and Mrs. Granger was beside herself. "A _fine_ example to send your children..._brawling_ in public.._what_ Gilderoy Lockhart must have thought..." Fred snickered. "He was pleased, Mum. Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the _Daily Prophet_ if he'd be able to work the fight into his report-said it was all publicity." I snorted at this, then waved goodbye to the others as Renny and I headed off to return by Floo Powder to C.V.'s castle.

* * *

**WELL, THAT'S IT FOR THIS CHAPTER! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER TWO:**

* * *

The day before I was supposed to depart, C.V. summoned me once again to his study. "Girl, I have learned that your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is-" He looked disgusted, "-Gilderoy Lockhart." C.V. took a deep breath to calm himself before he continued. "Now, have Renfield assist you in packing your things." I bowed and left the room.

* * *

I strode through King's Cross Station, Midnight in my arms, with Renny pushing my cart behind us. Midnight had grown to the size of an adult house cat. I figured it might take about one more year for her to grow to the size of a child-size panther, but I wasn't sure.

Just as I went through the barrier, I heard Hermione calling out to me. "Evangeline! Evangeline, over here!" I grinned, walking over to her. "Hey, Hermione. How you doing?" Hermione smiled, scratching Midnight's ears as she purred. "Good. I haven't seen Harry or Ron yet though." I frowned, looking around. "Well, they'd better hurry up. The train leaves in only two minutes." Hermione bit her lip, nodding.

I turned to Renny, hugging him. "See you this summer, Uncle Renny." Renny smiled. "And the same to you, my dear Evangeline. I will go give your cart to the service men on the train, shall I?" He tipped his hat to Hermione. "Good day to you, my dear." With that, he walked off, pushing my cart. Hermione stared after him as we boarded the train. "He's really polite, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Uncle Renny's gentle as a lamb, unlike one of his friends."

"What friend would that be?" I jumped, realizing I'd said too much. "Uh...um...Oh, here's an empty compartment!"

Hermione sighed as we sat down. "I hope Harry and Ron hurry up. The train should be leaving in a minute." As she spoke, the train began moving, and she frowned, looking around. "Where _are_ they?"

* * *

Five hours later, we'd arrived at Gryffindor, sat through the Sorting, and ate our way through the feast, and the two boys still hadn't shown up. Just as we turned the corner back to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione spotted Harry. "_There_ you are! Where have you _been_?! The most _ridiculous_ rumors-someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying _car_-" Harry spoke up as soon as she took a breath. "Well, we haven't been expelled." Hermione's eyes narrowed. "You're not saying that you _did_ fly here?!" Ron groaned. "Skip the lecture, and tell us the stupid password."

"It's 'wattlebird', but that's not the point-" She was cut off as the Gryffindor common room portrait door swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. Lee Jordan pulled Harry into the common room, grinning. "Brilliant! Inspired! What an entrance! Flying an enchanted car right into the Whomping Willow! People will be talking about that one for years!" Fred and George both spoke up as one, grinning. "Why couldn't we come in the car, huh?"

Ron went red in the face with embarrassment, but I spotted Percy heading our way, scowling. I cleared my throat and nodded in the direction of Percy. Ron and Harry nodded, getting the picture. "Got to get upstairs-bit tired." The two of them headed straight for their dormitory, pushing their way through the crowd. "Good night," Harry called back to Hermione, who wore a scowl to match Percy's. I sighed, clapping her on the back. "Oh, lighten up, Hermione!" She glared at me as I grabbed a box of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans.

* * *

The next morning, I sat down between Ron and Harry. Hermione greeted us with a grumpy "Morning", which clearly stated she still didn't approve of the stunt Harry and Ron had pulled last night. Neville sat down next to her, grinning widely. "Good morning! Mail's due any minute-I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot." I chuckled, nodding at this. Neville had the worst memory of anyone I'd ever met.

As the words left his mouth, a flurry of owls spun overhead, landing in front of the people it was supposed to send the letters or packages to. Sure enough, a large package was delivered to Neville. A second later, something gray, large, and feathery skidded across the table, landing unmoving in front of Hermione. _"Errol!"_ Ron pulled him out of the milk jug, and his face paled. "Oh, no-"

"It's all right, he's still alive," Hermione said as she poked Errol. "It's not that-it's _that_." I looked over, and saw a red envelope in front of Ron. "Oh, boy."  
Harry frowned, obviously confused. "What's wrong?"

"She-she's sent me a Howler." Neville bit his lip. "You'd better open it, Ron. It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it, and-" he shuddered, "-it was terrible."

Harry continued to look confused. "What's a Howler?" Ron wasn't listening, seeing as the letter had begun to smoke at the corners. "Open it, Ron. It'll all be over soon..." Ron reached out a shaking hand, took the Howler from Errol, and slit it open. Immediately, Neville and I stuffed our ears, but could still hear every word:

_**"-STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT 'TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE-"**_

Ron sunk so low in his chair that we could only see his crimson forehead.

_**"-LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD HAVE DIED-"**_

I looked over and saw Harry's face flush with embarrassment.

_**"-ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED-YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT, AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!"  
**_

A ringing silence fell, and I could feel my eardrums throbbing. The Howler, which had fallen from Ron's hands, burst into flames and curled into ashes. A few people laughed, and the buzz of various conversations once again took over the Great Hall. Hermione closed _**Voyages with Vampires**_ and looked down at Ron's head. "Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you-"

"Don't tell me I deserved it." As I looked up, I saw Professor McGonagall moving down the aisles, handing out course schedules. I took mine and saw we had double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first.

We stood up and left the castle together, heading for the greenhouses where the magical plants were kept. At least the Howler seemed to have done something good: Hermione thought that the Howler had punished the other two bad enough, and was perfectly friendly with them again. As we neared the greenhouses, I saw the other students waiting for Professor Sprout. We'd only just joined them when she came into view, followed by Gilderoy Lockhart. She was carrying a lot of bandages, and I saw the Whomping Willow behind her, various branches in slings.

Lockhart beamed at us. "Oh, hello there! Just been showing Professor Sprout the correct way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you to get the notion that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels..." I could see Professor Sprout grinding her teeth. "Greenhouse three today, chaps!" A murmur of excitement ran throughout the crowd of students. We'd only worked in greenhouse one before-greenhouse three had more interesting and dangerous plants.

We were about to enter greenhouse three when Lockhart grabbed the back of Harry's jacket, dragging him back outside. A couple minutes later, Harry joined us, a scowl on his face. I looked at the table, and saw about twenty or so pairs of earmuffs there. "We'll be re-potting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of a Mandrake?" To nobody's surprise, Hermione's hand was first into the air. "Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative. It is used to return those who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor. The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Can anyone tell me why?" Once again, Hermione's hand shot into the air. "The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it."

"Precisely. Take another ten points. Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young." We shuffled forward towards a row of deep trays to take a look. A hundred or more tufty little plants, purplish-green in color, were growing in rows. "Everyone take a pair of earmuffs." We all raced to take a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy.

"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are _completely_ covered. When it's safe to remove them, I'll give you the thumbs-up. Right-earmuffs on." I secured the earmuffs, and they blocked out the sound, leaving me completely deaf to the world. Professor Sprout put on the pink, fluffy pair, and pulled on one of the tufty plants. I let out a gasp, staring at the plant. Instead of roots, a small, muddy and hideously ugly popped out of the dirt. The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale, green mottled skin, and was obviously screaming at the top of his lungs.

Professor Sprout took a large plant pot, stuffed the Mandrake into it and buried him in deep, dark soil until we could only see the leaves. She dusted off her hands as she removed her own earmuffs and gave us the thumbs up. "As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill you yet. However, they will knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up. Five to a tray-there is a large supply of pots here-compost in the sacks over there-and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething." With these words, she gave a slap to a spiky, dark red plant that was creeping over her shoulder.

We were joined at our tray by some random Hufflepuff with curly hair. "Justin Finch-Fletchley." He stuck out his hand. "Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter...and you're Hermione Granger, always top in everything. And Ron Weasley...wasn't that your flying car?" Ron's face turned red with embarrassment. Finally, Justin turned to me. "I'm afraid we've never met."

"Evangeline Lestrade."

He grinned as we started filling our pots with dragon dung compost. "That Lockhart's really something, isn't he? Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I'd have died of fear if I'd been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and-zap-just _fantastic_." I bit back my groan and tried not to roll my eyes, forcing a smile onto my face as he continued. "My name was down for Eton, you know. I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart's books I think she's begun to see how useful it will be to have a fully-trained wizard in the family." After that, we managed to get him to stop talking, because our earmuffs were over our ears.

Professor Sprout had made re-potting the Mandrakes look easy, but it was hard work. The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the earth, but didn't want to go back in either. I spent fifteen minutes trying to get my Mandrake back in a pot. By the end of the class, I, like everyone else, was sweaty, grumpy, aching, and covered in dirt.

We all made our way back to the castle to wash up and me and the other Gryffindors headed for Transfiguration. I was supposed to turn a beetle into a button, but the beetle just kept scurrying away from me. Ron was having a worse time. He'd patched up his wand with borrowed Spellotape, but it still seemed to be damaged. It kept crackling and sparking at odd moments, and every time he tried to transfigure the beetle, it surrounded him with a thick cloud of grey smoke that smelled like rotten eggs. Ron accidentally squashed his beetle, and had to ask for a new one, much to McGonagall's displeasure.

Finally, the lunch bell rang. Everyone made their way out of the classroom, except Ron, who was whacking his wand on the desk in frustration. "Stupid-useless-thing-"

"Write home for another one." Ron scoffed at Harry's suggestion. "Right, and get another Howler back. _It's your own fault you got your wand snapped_-"

We went down to lunch, and Ron's bad mood increased when Hermione showed us all the perfect coat buttons she'd transfigured. "What've we got this afternoon?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said at once. Ron seized her schedule. "_Why_ have you outlined all of Lockhart's classes in little hearts?" She snatched it back, blushing furiously.

* * *

We finished lunch and headed outside to the courtyard. Hermione buried her nose in _Voyages with Vampires_. I felt extremely tempted to snatch the book out of her hands and yell at her for even reading something like that. Harry, Ron and I talked about Quidditch for a few minutes until we got the idea we were being watched. We looked up and saw a small, mousy-haired first year with a Muggle camera draped around his neck. "All right, Harry? I'm-I'm Colin Creevey. I'm in Gryffindor, too. D'you think-would it be all right if-can I have a picture?"

"A-A picture?"

"So I can prove I've met you. I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you've still got a lightning scar on your forehead-" His eyes flicked to Harry's forehead, "-and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures will _move_! It's _amazing_ here, isn't it? I never knew all this odd stuff I could do was magic 'till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it'd be really good if I had one of you, and maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?"

"_Signed photos?_ You're giving out _signed photos_, Potter?" We looked around to see Malfoy standing there, his arms crossed, with his usual sneer in place. "Everyone, line up! Potter's giving out signed photos!" Harry's fists clenched, and he spoke through clenched teeth, "No, I'm not. Shut up, Malfoy." Colin spoke up. "You're just jealous."

"_Jealous?_ Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my forehead, thanks. I don't think get your head cut open makes you that special, myself." Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. Ron's eyes narrowed. "Eat slugs, Malfoy." Malfoy simply smirked. "Be careful, Weasley. You don't want to cause any trouble, or your mummy will have to come and take you away from school." He put on a high, shrill voice. _"If you put another toe out of line..." _A load of nearby Slytherins laughed loudly at this.

"Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter. It'd be worth more than his family's entire house-" Ron started forward, but Hermione snapped her book shut and hissed, "Look out!" Lockhart was striding our way, that stupid grin on his face. "What's all this? Who's giving out signed photos?" Harry was about to respond when Lockhart clapped him on the back. "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry! Come on, then, Mr. Creevey! A double photo, you can't do better than that, and afterwards, we'll _both_ sign it for you!"

I could clearly see the humiliation written on Harry's face as Colin took the photo just as the afternoon classes bell rang. "Off you go, there, move along." We walked back to the castle, and Lockhart pulled Harry aside for a "quick word". We came into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom a few minutes later, where we found Harry already there. Ron snickered. "You could've fried an egg on your face. You'd better hope Creevey doesn't meet Ginny, or they'll start a Harry Potter Fan Club."

"Shut up."

When the whole class came in, Lockhart cleared his throat, and we fell silent. Lockhart strode forward and picked up Neville's copy of _Travels with Trolls_, and held it up, pointing at it. "Me. Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of _Witch Weekly's_ Most Charming Smile Award-but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by _smiling_ at her!" He waited for us to laugh, and few people smiled weakly. Finally, he continued. "I see you've all bought a complete set of my books-well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about-just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in-" He handed out the test papers and returned to the front of the class. "You have thirty minutes. Start-_now!_"

I looked down at my paper and read:

_**What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?**_

_**What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?**_

_**What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?**_

It went on and on, until question fifty-four:

**_When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be? _**

I bit back a groan.

* * *

Half an hour later, Lockhart rifled through the papers. "Tut, tut-hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in _Year with the Yeti_. And a few of you need to read _Wanderings with Werewolves_ more carefully-I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples-though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky!" He winked at us, and I rolled my eyes.

"...but Ms. Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care products-good girl! In fact-full marks! Where is Ms. Granger?" Hermione raised a shaking hand. "Excellent! Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor!"

He paused, scanning over another paper, a frown appearing on his face. "However...one Ms. Evangeline Lestrade seems not to have bothered to answer _any_ of the questions on the quiz! Where is Ms. Lestrade?" I stood. "Would you care to tell us _why_ you chose not to take the quiz?"

"Yes, sir. I chose not to take the quiz because I did not read the books."

"You didn't read the books?! Why not?!"

"I refuse to lower myself to such idiocy." Lockhart's nostril's flared. "Five points from Gryffindor, Ms. Lestrade!" I nodded. "Yes, sir." As I sat down, I noticed all the girls glaring at me, and the boys looking at me in awe.

Shaking off his anger, Lockhart lifted a large, covered cage onto his desk. "Now-be warned. It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind. You may find yourself find your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm. I must ask you not to scream. It might provoke them." Lockhart whipped off the cover. "Yes. _Freshly caught Cornish Pixies_." Seamus Finnigan let out a snort of laughter, and Lockhart turned to him. "Yes?"

"Well, they're not-they're not very-_dangerous_, are they?" Seamus said through his laughter. "Don't be so sure! Devilish tricky little blighters they can be! Right, then. Let's see what you make of them!" With that, he opened the cage, and chaos ensued. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. Several shot through the window, leaving the floor littered with glass. The others grabbed ink bottles, spraying the class with them; shredded books and papers; tore pictures from the walls; threw the wastebasket into the air; and grabbed bags and books and threw them out the window. Within minutes, we were sheltered under desks and Neville was dangling from the iron chandelier on the ceiling.

"Come on, now, round them up, they're only pixies!" Lockhart shouted out. He rolled up his sleeves, pulled out his wand, and yelled, _"Peskipiksi Pesternomi!" _It had no effect on the pixies. One of the pixies grabbed his wand and threw it out the window. Lockhart dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding having Neville fall on him as the chandelier gave way.

The bell rang and there was a stampede towards the exit. In the calm that followed, Lockhart stood up, saw me, Hermione, Harry and Ron, and said, "Well; I'll just ask you four to just nip the rest of them back into the cage." He swept past us, shutting the door behind him. Ron bellowed in pain as one of the pixies bit him on the ear. "Can you _believe_ him?!" Hermione shrugged as she immobilized two pixies at once with a Freezing Charm and stuffed them back in the cage. "He's just trying to give us some hands-on experience." Harry stared at her in disbelief. "_Hands-on?!_ Hermione, he had no idea what to do!"

"Rubbish. What about all the books he's written. Look at all the amazing things he's done!" I rolled my eyes. "He _says_ he's done."


	3. Chapter 3

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER THREE:**

* * *

The next morning, Ron showed us the note Harry had left for him, and we headed down to the Quidditch Pitch to watch him practice. I was about to fall asleep when Harry and the rest of the team came onto the field. Ron stared down at them. "Haven't you finished?"

"Haven't even started. Wood's been teaching us new moves." We watched as he kicked off from the ground, followed by the rest of the time. I looked over to see Colin Creevey snapping photos endlessly. Ron nudged me, and I looked down to see the Slytherin team approaching. "Oh, great. This won't end well." We got up quickly from our seats and ran down to the field. "What's happening? And what's _he_ doing here?" Ron glared at Malfoy, who smirked back. "I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley. Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought for the team."

Ron stared in disbelief at the seven Nimbus Two Thousand and One's in front of us. "Good, aren't they? But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum will bid for them." The other Slytherins burst into laughter.

Hermione scoffed. "At least nobody on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent." Malfoy turned on her. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy Mudblood." An instant uproar started at his words. The Gryffindor teammates attempted to attack Draco, but Flint, Slytherin's team Captain, managed to hold them off. He, however, didn't account for Ron. "You'll pay for that, Malfoy!" Ron pointed his broken wand under Flint's arm, and a loud band issued from the wrong end of his wand, hitting Ron in the stomach and knocking him backwards onto the grass.

We ran over to Ron, bending over him. "Ron! Are you okay?" He opened his mouth, and about a half a dozen slugs came out of his mouth, falling onto the ground. The Slytherin team burst into laughter. We stood around him, unsure of what to do. "Let's get him to Hagrid's. He'll know what to do." Hermione and I nodded, pulling Ron up by the arms, leading him away, but not before Colin stopped in front of us. "What's happened, Harry? Is he ill? But you can cure him, can't you?" Ron gagged, and more slugs came out of his mouth. "Cool! Can you hold him still, Harry?"

"Get out of the way, Colin!" We looked over at Ron as we neared Hagrid's. "Nearly there, Ron. Just a minute." We were about to start towards the door when it opened and Lockhart stepped out. Harry winced, hiding behind a large bush, followed quickly by me and Ron. Hermione came reluctantly after us.

"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing! If you need help, you know where I am! I'll let you have a copy of my book! I'm surprised you haven't already got one-I'll sign it and send it over. Goodbye!" We waited until he'd left, and knocked on Hagrid's door. He opened it, looking grumpy, but brightened up when he saw us. "Bin wonderin' when you'd come ter see me-come in-thought you mighta bin Professor Lockhart again." Harry explained Ron's problem to Hagrid, and he pulled out a large basin, putting it down in front of Ron. "Well, better out than in. Get 'em all out, Ron."

Hermione sighed, watching Ron. "I don't suppose there's anything to do but wait for it to stop. That's a difficult to work at the best of times, and with a broken wand-" Hagrid began making tea, and Harry scratched Fang's ears. "What did Lockhart want, anyway?"

"Givin' me advice on gettin' kelpies out of a well. Like I don' know. An' bangin' on about some banshee he banished. If one word of it's true, I'll eat my kettle." We stared at him in shock. Hermione finally spoke, in a higher-pitched voice than usual, "I think you're being a little unfair. Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job-"

"He was the _on'y_ man fer the job. An' I mean the _on'y_ one. Gettin' difficult ter find anyone fer the Dark Arts job. People aren't too keen ter take it on. They're startin' ter think it's jinxed. No one's lasted long fer a while now. So tell me, who was Ron tryin' ter curse?" Harry frowned. "Malfoy called Hermione something. It must've been really bad, because everyone went crazy." I scowled, crossing my arms. "It was bad. He called her a _Mudblood_." Hagrid looked furious. "He didn'!"

"He did. But I don't know what it means. I could tell it was really rude, of course." Ron came up, sweating and looking pale. "It's about the most insulting thing he could come up with. Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who's Muggle-born, you know, non-magic parents. There are some wizards-like Malfoy's family-who think they're better than other people because they're what everyone calls pure-blood." He burped, releasing a small slug into his hand. He threw it into the basin, wiped his mouth with his hand, and continued. "I mean, the rest of us know it doesn't make any difference. Look at Neville-he's pure-blood and he can barely stand a cauldron the right way up."

"An' they haven' invented a spell our Hermione can't do." Hermione blushed. Ron nodded. "It's disgusting thing to call someone. Dirty blood. Common blood. It's ridiculous. Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't married Muggles, we'd have died out." Ron gagged and bent over the basin again. Hagrid sighed. "Well, I don' blame yeh fer tryin' ter curse him, Ron. Bu' maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. 'Spect Lucius Malfoy would've come marchin' up ter school if yeh'd cursed his son. Least yer not in trouble." I chuckled to myself. _Trouble couldn't be worse than throwing up slugs, now, could it?_

"Harry, I got a bone ter pick with yeh. I've heard yeh've bin givin' out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?" Harry unstuck his mouth from the treacle toffee Hagrid had given him that had cemented his teeth together. "I have not been giving out signed photos! If Lockhart's still spreading that around-" I grinned as Hagrid began laughing. "I'm on'y jokin'. I knew yeh hadn't really. I told Lockhart yeh didn' need teh. Yer more famous than him without tryin'."

I laughed. "Bet he didn't like that."

"Don' think he did. An' then I told him I'd never read one o' his books an' he decided ter go. Treacle toffee, Ron?" Ron shook his head. "No, thanks." Hagrid smiled, getting up. "Come an' see what I've bin growin'." We stepped outside to the vegetable patch, where a dozen giant pumpkins were growing. "Gettin' on well, aren't they? Fer the Halloween feast. Should be big enough by then."

"What've you been feeding them?" I asked curiously. Hagrid looked around. "Well, I've bin givin' them-yeh know-a bit o' help-" Hermione glanced at the large pink umbrella propped up against one wall of his cabin. "An Engorgement Charm, I suppose? Well, you've done a good job on them." Hagrid beamed at this. "That's what yer little sister said," Hagrid said, looking over at Ron. "Said she was jus' lookin' round the grounds, but I reckon she was hopin' she might run inter someone else at my house." He winked. "Bet _she_ wouldn' say no ter a signed-"

"Oh, shut up." Ron snorted with laughter, and several slugs fell onto the ground. "Watch it!" Hagrid pulled Ron away from his pumpkins.

* * *

Around lunchtime, we bid Hagrid goodbye, and headed back up to the castle to eat. We'd barely set foot in the Entrance Hall, when McGonagall's voice called out, "There you are, Potter-Weasley. You will both do your detentions this evening."

"What are we doing, Professor?" McGonagall looked over at Ron. "_You_ will be polishing the silver in the Trophy Room with Mr. Filch. And no magic, Weasley-elbow grease." Ron gulped, and I sighed, shaking my head sympathetically. "And you, Potter, will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail."

"Professor McGonagall, couldn't I do the Trophy Room, too?" McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "Certainly not. Professor Lockhart requested you specifically. Eight o'clock sharp, both of you."

* * *

Ron groaned, pushing his food around with his fork. "Filch'll have me there all night. No magic! There must be about a hundred cups in that room. I'm no good at Muggle cleaning."

"I'd swap anytime. I've had loads of practice with the Dursleys." He made a face. "Answering Lockhart's fan mail...He'll be a nightmare..."

* * *

I waited up in the Common Room for Harry and Ron to come back. Harry returned first, eyes wide. "Did you hear that voice?"

"What voice?"

"That voice, just now! I heard it in Lockhart's office, but he said he didn't hear it!" Ron came back then, and Harry told him what he'd heard as well, and Lockhart saying that he hadn't heard anything. Ron frowned. "Do you think he was lying?" I bit my lip. "But-even someone invisible would have had to open the door..." Harry nodded. "I know. I don't get it either."


	4. Chapter 4

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER FOUR:**

* * *

October rolled around, and with it came the cold weather. However, Oliver Wood was still maniacally having the team practice. One day, almost just before nightfall, Harry told us that he'd agreed to go Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party on Halloween night. Hermione looked interested. "A deathday party? I can bet there aren't a lot of living people who can say they've been to one of those!" Ron scowled, hunched over his Potions homework. "Who'd want to celebrate the day they died? Sounds depressing to me."

I looked over at Fred and George, who were attempting to feed a Filibuster Firework to a salamander. Apparently, Fred had "rescued" the salamander from a Care of Magical Creatures class. Harry was about to tell us something else, when the salamander whizzed into the air, throwing off loud sparks and bangs as it went around the room. Percy began yelling at Fred and George, but his voice was soon drowned out by the cheers from most of the common room. Harry, Ron, and I joined in the cheering. Hermione, however, looked completely disapproving.

* * *

By the time Halloween came, Harry looked regretful that he'd accepted Nick's invitation to his deathday party. The Great Hall was decorated with live bats, Hagrid's pumpkins had been carved into huge lanterns, and there were rumors Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for entertainment. "A promise is a promise. You said you'd go."

So, on Halloween night, when everyone else was headed for the Great Hall, we walked right past it, finding our way to the deathday party. The temperature got colder with every step, and I soon heard a noise that sounded like a thousand fingernails on a blackboard. Ron put his hands over his ears, wincing. "Is that supposed to be music?"

We went around a corner, and saw Nick there at a doorway with black velvet drapes. "My dear friends. Welcome, welcome...so pleased you could come..." He bowed and motioned us inside. The dungeon was crammed with hundreds of ghosts, most drifting around the dance floor to the sound of musical saws played by an orchestra.

Harry turned to us. "Want to look around?"

"Don't walk through anyone." We moved slowly through the room, and Hermione suddenly stopped dead. "Turn back, turn back. I don't want to talk to Moaning Myrtle-" We turned around, and Harry looked over at me, confused. "Who's Moaning Myrtle?"

"Oh, she's a ghost that haunts one of the toilets in the girls' bathroom on the first floor."

"She haunts a _toilet_?"

"Yeah. It's been out of order all year because she keeps throwing tantrums and flooding the place. Hermione and I never go in there if we can avoid it." Hermione nodded at this. Ron's head swiveled around. "Look, food!" We started towards it, but stopped dead in our tracks, repulsed. Huge, rotten fish lay on silver platters; burnt cakes; maggoty haggis; a slab of cheese covered in furry green mold; and finally, a giant grey cake shaped like a tombstone with tar icing making the words:

**SIR NICHOLAS DE MIMSY-PORPINGTON **

**DIED 31ST OCTOBER, 1492**

We watched as a ghost opened his mouth and drifted through the table. "Can you...um...can you taste it if you walk through it?"

"Almost." Hermione pinched her nose, inspecting the food as the ghost drifted away. "I expect they've let it rot to give it a stronger flavor." Ron held his hand over his mouth. "Can we move? I think I'm getting sick."

We'd hardly moved when Peeves swooped up behind us. "Nibbles?" He held out a bowl of mold-covered peanuts. Hermione turned green. "No, thanks."

"Heard you talking about poor Myrtle. _Rude_ you was about poor Myrtle. OI! MYRTLE!"

"Peeves, don't tell her what I said. She'll be really upset. I didn't mean it, I don't mind her-er, hello, Myrtle." Myrtle had just floated over. "What?" Hermione put on a fake cheerful smile. "How are you, Myrtle? It's nice to see you out of the toilet."

"Miss Granger and Miss Lestrade were just talking about you-" I winced. "Just saying-saying how nice you look tonight." Myrtle looked at me and Hermione warily. "You're making fun of me." Hermione shook her head. "No, really. Didn't Evangeline just say how nice Myrtle was looking tonight?" She elbowed Harry and Ron in the ribs.

"Oh, yeah-"

"Very nice-"

Myrtle's face welled up with tears. "Don't lie to me." Peeves snickered over her shoulder. "Do you think I don't know what people call me behind my back? Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!"

"You forgot pimply," Peeves hissed in her ear. Myrtle burst into tears and flew out of the dungeon, with Peeves chasing after her, pelting peanuts at her and yelling, _"Pimply! Pimply!"_

Nick drifted over to us just then. "Enjoying yourselves?"

"Oh, yeah." _No._

"Not a bad turnout," Nick said as he surveyed the crowd. "The Wailing Widow came all the way up from Kent...oh, it's nearly time for my speech, I'd better go warn the orchestra..." However, the "orchestra" stopped playing, and everyone fell silent, looking around excitedly. Nick groaned. "Here we go..." A dozen ghost horses came through the wall, ridden by headless horsemen. Everyone began clapping, and the four of us began to clap too, but stopped when we saw Nick's sour face.

One of the headless men got off his horse and came over to us as he placed his head back on his neck. "Nick! How are you? Head still hanging in there?"

"...Hello, Patrick." Patrick looked over at us. "Live 'uns!" He gave a fake jump, and his head fell off his neck. Most of the ghosts burst into laughter.

"...Very amusing."

"Don't mind Nick!" Sir Patrick's head shouted from its place on the floor. "Still angry we won't let him join the Hunt! But I mean to say-look at the fellow-" Harry glanced over at Nick. "Er-I think-Nick's very...frightening, and...um..."

"Bet he asked you to say that!" Nick clapped his hands for attention. "If I could have everyone's attention, it's time for my speech!" He floated over to the stage, and cleared his throat. "My dear lamented lords, ladies, and gentlemen, it is my great sorrow..." But nobody paid any attention after that; Patrick had started up a game of Head Hockey with the rest of the Headless Hunt.

Ron rubbed his arms, teeth chattering. "I can't stand much more of this." Harry nodded. "Let's go." We hurried out of the freezing dungeon into the warmer hallway. "Pudding might not be finished yet." I stared at Ron incredulously. "How on _Earth_ can you still be hungry after seeing that stuff they call food?!" Ron opened his mouth to answer, but Harry stopped dead in his tracks. "Harry, what-?"

"It's that voice again-shut up a minute-"

"Harry, what are you talking about?"

"Listen! This way!" He began running down the hallways, with us at his heels. "Harry, what's going on?"

"It's going to kill someone!" Finally, we stopped at the last passage of the second floor. I gasped for breath, leaning against the wall for support. "Harry, what was that about?" Ron nodded. "I couldn't hear anything." Hermione gasped, pointing down the hallway. "Look!" We looked up to see something shiny on the wall before us. We went towards it cautiously, and made out the words written in blood:

**THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED****.**

**ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.**

"What's that-that thing hanging underneath?" Ron's voice was shaking. As we went closer, Harry almost fell over due to the water on the floor, but Hermione and I caught him. We looked closer, and jumped backwards when we realized what it was. Mrs. Norris was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket, stiff as a board.

"Let's get out of here."

"Shouldn't we try and help-" I shook my head. "Harry, trust me. We don't want to be found here." But as we turned around to leave, a distant rumble told us the feast had ended. We heard footsteps climbing the stairs, and then we were surrounded on all sides by a crowd of people. Everyone fell silent, staring at Mrs. Norris. Finally, Malfoy's voice rang out. "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" He pushed his way to the front of the crowd, smirking at us.


	5. Chapter 5

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER FIVE:**

* * *

"What's going on? What's going on?" We froze as Filch pushed his way through the crowd. He spotted Mrs. Norris, and his eyes widened in horror. "Mrs. Norris?! What's happened to my cat!?" His eyes fell on Harry. "_You! You!_ You've killed my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-"

"Argus!" Dumbledore arrived, and he strode past Filch, unhooking Mrs. Norris from the bracket. "Come with me, Argus. You four as well." Lockhart stepped forward. "My office is nearest, Headmaster-just upstairs-feel free-"

"Thank you, Gilderoy." The crowd parted to let us through. Lockhart hurried after us, as did McGonagall and Snape. I looked around as we entered his office. Most of the portraits of himself darted out of sight, hair still in curlers. Lockhart lit the candles and stood back. We looked at each other, and sank into chairs outside the glow of the candlelight. Dumbledore bent over Mrs. Norris, examining her.

Lockhart hovered around us, making annoying and stupid suggestions. "It was definitely a curse that killed her-probably the Transmogrifian Torture-I've seen it so many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that could've spared her-" Lockhart's comments were accompanied by Filch's sobs. Dumbledore was muttering strange words under his breath and poking Mrs. Norris with his wand, but nothing happened. "...I remember something similar happening in Ouagadogou. A series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once..."

Finally, Dumbledore stood up straight. "She's not dead, Argus."

"Not dead? But why's she all-all stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified." Lockhart grinned. "Ah! I thought so!" I rolled my eyes, and Dumbledore continued. "But as to how, I cannot say..."

"Ask _him_!" Filch shrieked, pointing at Harry. Dumbledore shook his head. "No second-year could have done this. It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced-"

"He did it, he did it! You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found-in my office-he knows I'm a-I'm a-He knows I'm a Squib!" Harry shook his head. "I never _touched_ Mrs. Norris! And I don't even know what a Squib _is_!"

"Rubbish! He saw my Kwikspell letter!" Snape strode out from the shadows. "If I may speak, Headmaster. Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, we have suspicious circumstances. Why was Potter in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?" We launched into an explanation of the deathday party. "...there were hundreds of ghosts, they'll tell you we were there."

"By why not join the feast afterward? Why go up to that corridor?"

"Because-because-because we were tired and wanted to go to bed."

"Without any supper?"

"We weren't hungry." As Ron said this, his stomach growled loudly. Snape smirked. "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful. It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest." Professor McGonagall scoffed. "Honestly, Severus. The cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence that Potter has done anything wrong."

Dumbledore looked over at Harry, and finally spoke. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus." Snape scowled. Filch was beside himself. "My cat has been Petrified! I want to see some _punishment_!" Dumbledore sighed. "We will be able to cure her, Argus. Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have fully matured, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."

"I'll make it," Lockhart blurted. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep-" Snape glared at him. "Excuse me, I believe _I_ am the Potions Master at this school." An awkward silence fell. Dumbledore turned to the four of us. "You may go."

I left quickly, relief washing over me. "That was tense." Harry motioned us into an empty classroom and turned to look at us. "Do you think I should've told them about that voice I heard?" Ron shook his head. "No. Hearing voices nobody else can hear is a bad sign, even in the wizarding world." Harry frowned. "You do believe me, don't you?"

"Of course we do. But you got to admit...it's kind of weird..." Harry rolled his eyes. "I know it's weird. This whole thing's weird. What was that writing on the wall about, anyway? _The Chamber Has Been Opened_...What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, it sort of sounds familiar. I think someone told me about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once...might've been Bill..."

"And what's a Squib?" I snickered. "Well, it's not really funny, but seeing as it's Filch. A Squib is somebody who's been born into a Wizarding family but doesn't have any magical powers. Kind of the opposite of Muggle-borns, but Squibs are pretty rare. If Filch is trying to learn magic from a Kwikspell course, he's probably a Squib." Ron laughed. "It'd certainly explain a lot. Like why he hates students so much. He's bitter." A clock sounded, cutting off our conversation. "Midnight. We'd better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame us for something else."

* * *

Two weeks later, the entire school was still talking about the attack. Filch paced where she'd been attacked, and when he wasn't there, he was trying to put students in detention for stupid reasons like "breathing loudly" or "looking happy".

Ginny, Ron's little sister, was extremely disturbed by the attack. "But you didn't really know Mrs. Norris. Honestly, we're better off without her. Stuff like this doesn't happen all that often at Hogwarts. They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled." Ginny turned white. "I'm only joking-"

The attack had affected Hermione also. She was now spending all her time not in class with her nose buried in a book even during meals, and she snapped at anyone who interrupted her. We didn't figure out what she was up to until the next Wednesday. Harry came up to me and Ron, and told us about Justin Finch-Fletchley running away from him. I snorted. "Why should you care? He's an idiot." Ron nodded. "All that stuff about Lockhart being so great..." He measured his History of Magic homework. Professor Binns had requested we write a three-foot long essay on "The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards".

"I don't believe it, I'm still eight inches short..." He released his parchment, and it sprang back into a roll. "Hermione's done four feet seven inches, and her writing's _tiny_." Harry frowned, grabbing the tape measure. "Where is Hermione, anyway?" I pointed along the aisles. "Somewhere over there." I chuckled. "I think she's trying to read the entire library before Christmas." Just then, Hermione walked over. "_All_ the copies of **_Hogwarts: A History_** have been taken out. And there's a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books."

"Why do you want it?"

"The same reason everyone else wants it. To read up on the Chamber of Secrets." Harry looked at her, confused. "What's that?"

"That's just it, I can't remember! And I can't find the story anywhere else..." Ron checked his watch. "Hermione, let me read your composition." She glared at him. "No. You've had ten days to finish it."

"I only need two more inches, come on..." I sighed. "Ron, you can copy off me." Hermione gasped. "Evangeline! That's cheating!" I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. I kind of cheated, too. I wrote to Uncle Renny asking for help on the essay. He's _way_ into history." _In more ways than one. _Hermione opened her mouth to argue as Ron grabbed my essay, desperately scanning it. He had just completed his essay when the bell rang. "Thanks, Evangeline!"

We headed to class, Hermione's glare boring holes into my back the entire way.

* * *

Today was just as boring as any other class in History of Magic. The class was taught by Professor Binns, the only ghost teacher we had. Apparently, he'd gotten up to teach one day, leaving his body behind in a chair by the fireplace in the staffroom. He spoke in a monotone that had everyone in the class but Hermione going comatose only two minutes after class started. The only reason I managed to get a good grade in History of Magic was because I had help from Renny, and occasionally, C.V.

He'd been droning on for half an hour when something different happened. Hermione put her hand up. He glanced up from his lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, and looked shocked. "Miss-er-?"

"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets." Professor Binns blinked, looking surprised. "My subject is History of Magic. I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat and continued. "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers-"

Hermione's hand was waving in the air again. "Miss Grant?"

"Sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"

"Well...yes, one could argue that, I suppose. However, the legend of which you speak is such a sensational, even ludicrous tale..." We were all now listening closely, which had to be a first for him. "Oh, very well. Let me see...the Chamber of Secrets..." He paused, thinking hard. "You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago-the precise date is unknown-by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution.

For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprung up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school.

Reliable historical sources tell us this much. But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin, according to legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all those Slytherin considered unworthy to study magic."

A tense silence fell as he finished, and he looked annoyed. "The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course. Naturally, the school has been searched, many time, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."

Hermione's hand popped into the air again. "Professor, what do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber of Secrets?"

"It is believed to be some sort of monster, one which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control." We exchanged nervous looks. "I tell you, the thing does not exist. There is no Chamber and no monster." Seamus Finnigan spoke up. "Professor, if the Chamber of Secrets can only be opened by Slytherin's heir, nobody else would be able to find it, would they?"

"Nonsense, O'Flaherty. If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found a thing-" Parvati Patil interrupted him. "But, Professor, you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it-"

"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic doesn't mean he can't, Miss Pennyfeather. I repeat, if the likes of Professor Dumbledore-"

"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't-"

"That will do! It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Salazar Slytherin built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to _history_, to solid, believable, verifiable_ fact_!" Within five minutes, we'd fallen into our usual stupor while he droned on and on.

* * *

Later on, we were fighting our way through the crowds to drop off our bags before going to dinner. "I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony," said Ron. "But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn't be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hart had tried to put me in Slytherin, I would've caught the train straight back home." We nodded.

As we were pushed along in the corridors, Colin Creevey went past. "Hiya, Harry!"

"Hello, Colin."

"Harry-Harry-a boy in my class has been saying you're-" He was pushed away from us by the throng of students headed for the Great Hall. "See you, Harry!" Hermione glanced over at him. "What's a boy in his class been saying about you?"

"That I'm Slytherin's heir, I expect."

I rolled my eyes, and Ron shook his head in disgust. "People here will believe anything." The crowd thinned out, and we climbed the next staircase without any difficulty. "Do you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attack her might not be-well-human." I looked over at her. "You know, I could write my Uncle Renny and ask him. He might know something." As I finished talking, we turned a corner, and found that we were at the spot where Mrs. Norris had been attacked. "That's where Filch has been keeping guard."

We looked around. The area looked deserted. "Can't hurt to look around." Harry dropped to his hands and knees. "Scorch marks! Here-and here-"

"Come and look at this!" Hermione motioned us over to the window by the message. Spiders were crawling frantically up the wall towards the window, fighting desperately to get out through a crack in the window. "Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" Harry and I shook our heads. "No. Have you, Ron?" I looked over at Ron. "Ron? You okay?" Ron was standing far away from the window, obviously looking as though he wanted to run away.

"What's wrong?"

"I-don't-like-spiders." I looked at him, surprised. "I never knew that. You use them all the time in Potions."

"I don't mind them dead. I just don't like the way they move." Hermione giggled. "It's not funny. If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my-my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I accidentally broke his toy broomstick. You wouldn't like it either if you'd been holding your bear and it suddenly had too many legs and..." He trailed off, unable to continue. Hermione was still trying not to laugh, and Harry changed the subject. "Remember all that water on the floor? Where did it come from? Someone's mopped it up." Ron took a few deep breaths, recovering himself as he looked around. "It was about here. Level with this door." He reached for the handle, but withdrew his hand as though he'd been scalded.

"What's the matter?"

"Can't go in there. It's a girls' toilet." I scoffed. "Honestly, Ron. Nobody ever goes in there. It's Moaning Myrtle's place." Hermione nodded. "Let's go have a look." With that, she pushed the door open. I looked around at the bathroom. There was a large, cracked mirror, and under it was a row of chipped sinks. The floor was damp, reflecting the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles. The paint to the wooden stalls was flaking, and one was dangling off its hinges.

Hermione put her finger to her lips, signaling for the boys to be quiet, and approached the end stall. "Hello, Myrtle, how are you?" Myrtle looked up at us suspiciously, eyeing Ron and Harry. "This is a _girls'_ bathroom. _They're_ not girls."

"Er...no, they're not. Evangeline and I just wanted to show them how...nice it was in here."

"Ask her if she saw anything," Harry mouthed at me and Hermione. Myrtle's head snapped in his direction. "What are you whispering about?"

"Nothing. We just wanted to ask-"

"I do wish people would stop talking behind my back!" Myrtle's voice was filled with tears. "I _do_ have feelings, even if I _am_ dead!"

"Nobody wants to upset you, Myrtle," Hermione said quickly. "Harry just wanted to know-"

"Nobody wants to upset me! That's a good one! My life was nothing but misery at this place, and now people coming along trying to ruin my death!"

"We wanted to ask you if you'd seen anything funny lately. Because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Halloween night."

"I wasn't paying attention. Peeves upset me so much that I came in here and tried to kill myself. But then I remembered I'm-I'm-"

"Already dead," Ron piped up. Myrtle let out a loud sob, rose into the air, turned over, and dove into the toilet headfirst, coming to rest somewhere in the U-bend. Hermione sighed, shaking her head. "Honestly, that was almost cheerful for Myrtle...Come on, let's go."

We'd barely left the bathroom when a loud voice made us jump a foot into the air. "RON!" We whirled around to see Percy standing there. "That's a _girls'_ bathroom! _What_ were you-?" Ron shrugged. "Just having a look around. Clues, you know-"

"Get away from there! Don't you care what this looks like?! Coming back here while everyone's at dinner-" Ron glared at his older brother. "Why shouldn't we be here?! We never touched that cat!"

"That's what I told Ginny, but she still seems to think you're going to be expelled. I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of _her_, all the first years are over-excited by this business-" Ron's ears turned red. "_You_ don't care about Ginny! _You're_ just worried I'm going to ruin your chances of being Head Boy!" Percy glared at him, fingering his prefect badge. "Five points from Gryffindor! I hope it teaches you a lesson! And no more detective work, or I'll write to Mum!" He turned and strode off, the back of his neck as red as Ron's ears.

* * *

We chose seats as far as possible from Percy that night in the Common Room. Ron was still seething over their fight, and kept blotting his Charms homework. When he reached for his broken wand to remove the smudges, it set the parchment on fire. Ron slammed **_The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 _**shut. To my surprise, Hermione did the same. "What can it _be_, though? Who'd _want_ to frighten all the Muggle-borns and Squibs out of Hogwarts?" Ron frowned, tapping his chin in mock puzzlement. "Let's think. Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?"

Hermione looked back at him, unconvinced. "If you're talking about Malfoy-"

"Of course I am! You heard him-'You'll be next, Mudbloods!'-come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him!" Hermione continued to look doubtful. "Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" Harry closed his book too. "Look at his family. The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough." Ron nodded. "They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries! Handing it down, father to son..."

"Well...I suppose it's possible..." I sighed, frustrated. "But how do we prove it?" Hermione glanced around, dropping her voice as she glanced over at Percy. "There might be a way. Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty schools rules, I expect-"

"If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you?" Ron said impatiently. Hermione glared at him. "All right. What we'd need to do is get inside the Slytherin Common Room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him knowing it's us." Ron laughed. "That's impossible."  
Hermione shook her head. "No, it's not. All we need is some Polyjuice Potion." The three of us frowned, confused. "What's that?"

"Snape mentioned it in Potions a few weeks ago-"

"D'you think we've got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?" Ron muttered.

"It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it! We could change into four of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us! Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He's probably boasting about it in the Slytherin Common Room right now, if we could only hear him..." I frowned. "This Polyjuice stuff sounds dodgy to me. What if we were stuck looking like Slytherins forever?"

"It wears off after a while. But getting hold of the recipe will be difficult. Snape said it was in a book called **_Moste Potente Potions_** and it's bound to be in the Restricted Section of the library." I groaned. The only way to get a book out of the Restricted Section was if you had a signed note from a teacher. Ron sighed. "Hard to see why we'd want the book, really, if we weren't going to try and make one of the potions."

Hermione frowned, thinking hard. "Maybe, if we sounded as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance..." I snorted. "Oh, please. No teacher's gonna fall for that. They'd have to be really...thick..."

* * *

**WELL, THERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER SIX:**

* * *

Since the episode with the pixies in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Lockhart hadn't brought any live creatures to class. Instead, he read us parts from his books, and re-enacted scenes from them, often using Harry for these scenes. Today, Harry was playing the part of a werewolf. "Nice loud howl, Harry-exactly-and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced-like this-_slammed_ him to the floor-thus-with one hand, I managed to hold him down-with my other, I put my wand to his throat-I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm-he let out a piteous moan-go on, Harry-higher than that-good-the fur vanished-the fangs shrank-and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective-and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks."

The bell finally rang, and Lockhart rose to his feet. "Homework-compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of **_Magical Me_** to the author of the best one!" The rest of the class began to leave, and Harry joined me, Ron, and Hermione at the back of the class. "Ready?" Hermione glanced around. "Wait until everyone's gone. All right..." She approached Lockhart's desk, a piece of paper in her hand, with us following behind her. "Er-Professor Lockhart? I wanted to-to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading. But the thing is, it's in the Restricted Section, so I need a teacher to sign for it-I'm sure it would help me understand what you say in **_Gadding with Ghouls_** about slow-acting venoms-"

"Ah, **_Gadding with Ghouls_**! Possibly my favorite book! You enjoyed it?" Hermione nodded fervently. "Oh, yes. So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer-" Lockhart smiled at her, once again showing all of his sparkling white teeth. "Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little help." He pulled out an enormous peacock quill, and I looked at it in disgust. "Yes, nice, isn't it?" Lockhart said, obviously misreading the look on my face. "I usually save it for book signings." He scrawled a loopy signature on the note and handed it to Hermione, who folded it with trembling hands and put it back in her bag.

"So, Harry. Tomorrow's the first Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, correct? I hear you're a useful player. I was a Seeker too. I was asked to try for the National Squad, but I preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of Dark Forces. Still, if you ever feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. I'm always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players..."

I rolled my eyes. _Right. Like you'd even be able to stay on a broom for ten seconds._

Harry followed the three of us out into the hallway, scowling. "I don't believe it. He didn't even _look_ at the book we wanted." Ron snorted. "That's because he's a brainless git. But who cares, we got what we needed."

"He is not a brainless git!"

I rolled my eyes. "Look, just because he called you the best student in the year-" We dropped our voices as we entered the library. Madam Pince, the librarian, was an irritable woman who looked like an underfed vulture. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "**_Moste Potente Potions_**?" She tried to take the note from Hermione, but she wouldn't let go. "I was hoping I could keep it." I snatched the note out of her hands, giving it to Madam Pince. "Oh, please. Lockhart'll sign anything if it stands still long enough."

Madam Pince studied the note, as if determined to detect a forgery, but it passed the test. She walked off, and returned with the book. Hermione put it into her bag, and we left.

* * *

Five minutes later, we'd barricaded ourselves in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom again. She was crying in her stall, but we were ignoring her, and she was ignoring us. Hermione opened **_Moste Potente Potions_** carefully, and we looked at the damp-spotted pages. "Here it is." She frowned. "This is the most complicate potion I've ever seen...Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass. Well, they're easy enough, they're in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves...Ooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn-don't know where we're going to get that-shredded skin of a boomslang-that'll be tricky too...and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into." Ron stared at her in disgust. "Excuse me? What do you mean, a bit of whoever we'll be changing into? I'm not drinking _anything_ with Crabbe's toenails in it..."

Hermione ignored him. "We don't have to worry about that yet, because we add those parts last." Harry spoke up. "Hermione, do you realize how much we're going to have to steal? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is such a good idea..." Hermione closed the book with a snap, her eyes blazing. "Well, if you three are going to chicken out, fine. I don't want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight back to Madam Pince and hand the book right back in-"

I chuckled. "I never thought I'd see the day when _you'd_ be persuading _us_ to break rules."

Ron sighed. "All right, we'll do it. But no toenails, okay?"

Harry nodded. "How long will it take to make?"

"Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon, and the lacewings have to be stewed for twenty-one days...I'd say in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients." Ron stared at her in disbelief. "A month?! But Malfoy could've attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!" Hermione's eyes narrowed, and he quickly added, "But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead."

As Hermione checked that the coast was clear for us to leave the bathroom, Ron muttered to Harry, "It'd be a lot less trouble if you could just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow."

* * *

Ron, Hermione, and I made our way to the stands, and cheered loudly with the rest of the crowd as the two teams sped up into the air. Malfoy seemed to be showing off the speed of his broom, but that didn't matter-seconds later, a Bludger came speeding right at Harry, narrowly missing him. George knocked it out of the way, but it came pelting right back at Harry. He dropped to avoid it, and George hit it towards Malfoy. That didn't seem to do any good, though. I screamed as it came right back at Harry.

Hermione frowned. "What's going on? Bludgers don't usually act like this."

Fred swung at the Bludger with all his strength, and it was knocked off course, but came speeding back at Harry.

It was starting to rain heavily, and I could barely make out anything that was happening in the game. I heard Madam Hooch's whistle sound, and realized one of the teams must have called for a time-out. The rain started to fall even more, and they rose back into the air after five minutes.

Harry seemed to be flying as though he were on a roller-coaster: he was spiraling and rolling around the stadium.

I screamed as the Bludger hit him in the arm. Despite this, he flew right at Malfoy, who dodged out of the way. Harry made a grab, and closed his fingers around the Snitch. He headed for the ground, and fell onto the mud. We ran over just as he passed out. "HARRY!"

He came around a few minutes later, and groaned as Lockhart bent over him. "Oh, no, not you."

"Doesn't know what he's saying. I'll fix your arm straight away, Harry."

"NO! I'll keep it like this, thanks..." Harry tried to sit up, but fell back down from the pain. I looked over and saw Colin taking photos one after another. "Stop that!" Harry groaned, obviously having heard me yelling at Colin. "I don't want a picture of this, Colin."

Lockhart attempted to calm him. "Lie still, Harry. It's a simple charm I've used countless times-" Harry glared at him through clenched teeth. "Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" Oliver Wood had just come over, grinning despite the fact Harry's arm was broken. "He really should, Professor. Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say-"

Lockhart rolled up his sleeves. "Stand back."

"No-don't-" Lockhart ignored him, and twirled his wand at Harry's arm. My eyes widened, and some of the others standing around Harry gasped. "Um. Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. So, Harry, just toddle on up to the hospital wing-ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Lestrade, would you escort him?-and Madam Pomfrey will be able to-er-tidy you up a bit." I glared at Lockhart as we helped Harry up. He hadn't mended Harry's broken right arm. He'd removed all the bones in it.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey was furious. "You should've come straight to me! I can mend bones in a second-but growing them back-" Harry looked at her. "You will be able to though, won't you?"

"I'll be able to, certainly, but it'll be painful. You'll have to stay the night."

Hermione and I waited outside the curtain while Ron helped Harry into his pajamas. "How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione?" Ron said to her through the curtain. "If Harry had wanted de-boning, he would've asked."

"Anyone can make a mistake. And it doesn't hurt anymore, does it, Harry?" I heard the sound of Harry getting into bed, and he sighed. "No. But it doesn't do anything else, either."

We came back around the curtain with Madam Pomfrey, who was holding a bottle of _Skele-Gro_. She poured out a cup and handed it to Harry. "You're in for a rough night, Potter. Regrowing bones is a nasty business." Harry coughed as the _Skele-Gro_ went down. Madam Pomfrey left, leaving us to help him get some water down. "We won, though," Ron grinned. "That was some catch you made. Malfoy's face...he looked ready to kill..." Hermione frowned. "I want to know how he fixed that Bludger."

"We'll add that to the list of questions we'll ask him once we've taken the Polyjuice Potion. I hope it tastes better than this stuff..." I scoffed. "If it's got bits of Slytherins in it? You've got to be joking."

The door of the hospital wing burst open, and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team came in, soaking wet and grinning. "Unbelievable flying, Harry," said George. "I just saw Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing it. Malfoy didn't seem too happy." They'd brought cakes, sweets, and a few bottles of pumpkin juice. We gathered around Harry's bed, and were starting in on what promised to be a good party when Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, "This boy needs rest, he's got thirty-three bones to regrow! Out! OUT!"

We left, waving back at Harry. Ron, Hermione and I lingered by his bed, whispering to him to keep an eye for anything suspicious, until Madam Pomfrey kicked us out.

* * *

**WELL, THAT'S ANOTHER CHAPTER! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**

* * *

Ron, Hermione and I sat in one of the stalls, where Hermione had conjured up one of her portable, waterproof fires to work on the Polyjuice. Hermione gasped the door to the bathroom, and Harry's voice spoke. "It's me."

"Harry! You startled us! Come in-how's your arm?"

"Fine."

"We would've come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion. Hermione figured this was the place to hide it," Ron explained.

Harry opened his mouth to tell us about Colin, but I cut him off. "We know. We heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick about it this morning. That's why we decided to get started." Ron scowled. "The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better. D'you know what I think? He was so angry after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin." Hermione began tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into the cauldron as Harry spoke. "There's something else. Dobby visited me in the middle of the night."

He told us what Dobby had said-or rather, hadn't said. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened _before_?" Ron grinned. "This settles it. Lucius Malfoy must've opened it when he was at school here, and now he's taught dear old Draco how to do it. It's obvious. Wish Dobby would have told you what kind of monster's in there, though. I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking around the school."

Hermione frowned, thinking hard. "Maybe it can make itself invisible." She prodded leeches to the bottom of the cauldron, and continued. "Or maybe it can disguise itself-pretend to be a suit of armor or something-I remember reading something about Chameleon Ghouls-" I chuckled, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches. "You read too much, Hermione."

Ron looked over at Harry as I crumpled up the empty lacewing bag. "So, Dobby stopped us from getting on the train, and then broke your arm...you know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life, he's going to kill you."

* * *

The news that Colin had been attacked had spread like wildfire throughout the entire school by Monday. First years were moving around in tight-knit groups, terrified they would be attacked if left alone. Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a trade in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was making its way through the school. Neville bought a large, horrid-smelling green onion, a pointed purple crystal, and a rotting newt tail before we pointed out that he was in no danger: he was a pureblood, and hardly likely to be attacked. "They went for Filch first. And everyone knows I'm almost a Squib."

* * *

The second week of December, McGonagall came around taking the names of those who'd be staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. Harry, Ron, and Hermione signed her list. We'd heard Malfoy was staying, too, which seemed strange. The holidays would be the perfect time to try and get a confession out of him. Just as I was about to sign up, though, McGonagall pulled me aside. "Follow me, Miss Lestrade. The headmaster wishes to see you." With a confused look back at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, I followed McGonagall out of the Common Room.

* * *

I stopped beside McGonagall at a stone gargoyle. "Lemon Drop!" This was evidently the password, and I followed her up the moving spiral staircase. Before us stood a door with a knocker in the shape of a griffin. McGonagall knocked on it, and Dumbledore's voice came from inside. "Come in." McGonagall entered the room, ushering me inside.

My jaw dropped when I saw Renny sitting across the desk from Dumbledore. "Renny!? What are you doing here?!" Dumbledore glanced at McGonagall. "Could you give us some privacy, Minerva?" McGonagall nodded, and left. I sat down beside Renny, looking confused. "What's going on?" Renny looked at Dumbledore, then began to speak. "The Master, having heard about the attack on that first-year, insisted that you come back to his castle for the holidays, Miss Gabrielle."

"What?! But the Count doesn't ever ask me home for Christmas holidays! Why should that change now?!" Dumbledore sighed. "Perhaps he is simply worried for your safety."

"Why? I'm half-blood, not Muggle-born." Renny raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, I do not believe that makes a difference to the Master."

"I can take care of myself."

"Look, Miss Gabrielle. If I do not return with you in tow, the Master will be furious. I am positive that this upcoming summer would not be pleasant for you if that happened. Do you really want that to happen?"

"No, I don't. But what about my classes?" Renny looked at Dumbledore, who smiled. "I will arrange for a suite near the Gryffindor Common Room for Renfield to stay in until it's time for you two to return to the Count's home."

* * *

I led Renny to his suite half an hour later. Renny turned to me. "All right. I will escort you to and from your classes. And, Miss Gabrielle?" I looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"Please, do not do anything foolish _this_ year." I avoided his eyes. "Sure thing, Renny." He raised an eyebrow doubtfully, but didn't say anything as I walked away.

* * *

Hermione, Ron and Harry stared at me in disbelief as we were once again barricaded in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "You're saying your Uncle Renny's not letting you stay for the Christmas holidays?! _And_ he's staying here until it's time to leave?!" I nodded glumly. Hermione frowned. "Evangeline, I thought your uncle was an atheist."

"He is. He just got nervous because of the attacks." Ron groaned. "That's just great! Now we won't have you to help us when the Polyjuice Potion's ready!"

"I know. I'm sorry. But I can still help you guys prepare it." Hermione nodded. "All right. Now, we still need the bicorn horn and the boomslang skin." I exchanged looks with Ron and Harry. "Hermione, the only way we can get that is if we stole stuff from Snape's private stores. Do you know what would happen if he caught us?"

"What we need is a diversion. I think I'd better do the actual stealing. You three will definitely be expelled if you get into trouble, and I've got a clean record. So all you need to do is cause enough mayhem to keep Snape busy for five minutes or so."

That afternoon, we headed to our double Potions lesson down in the dungeons. People were snickering and cracking jokes as Renny walked down with us. "Hey, look, everyone! Potter's got a guard on him now!"

Harry scowled as other Slytherins laughed. "Shut it."

"I'm surprised, though. I never dreamed they'd assign someone as pathetic as him to guard you."

"SHUT UP!" Renny grabbed my arm as I reached for my wand. "Evangeline! Enough!" He dropped his voice. "Do you think the Master would care to see you behaving in such an uncouth manner?"

He turned to the Slytherin boy. "Despite your delusions, young man, I am simply escorting my niece and her friends to her Potions class. Now, I believe you should be in class as well?" The Slytherin boy scowled, and stormed off.

At the door to Potions, Renny stopped me outside. "I will wait here. I do not wish to cause you further embarrassment by sitting in with your class." I smiled up at him. "Thanks, Renny."

* * *

We were making a Swelling Solution in Potions that day, and mine was way too thick. I noticed Hermione catch Harry's eye and give the slightest of nods. A minute later, Goyle's potion exploded, showering most of the class with his Swelling Solution. Malfoy got a faceful, and his nose began to swell. Goyle was stumbling around, his hands over his eyes, which had grown to the size of a dinner plate. Through the confusion, I saw Hermione slip quietly into Snape's office.

"Silence! SILENCE! Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a Deflating Draught-when I find out who caused this-" As people lined up, I saw Hermione slide back into the dungeon, her robes bulging.

When everyone had taken a drink of the antidote and the different swellings had subsided, Snape bent over Goyle's cauldron, and pulled out the twisted remains of the Filibuster firework Harry had thrown. The entire dungeon fell silent. "If I ever find out who thew this, I will personally make sure that person is expelled."

The bell rang, and we hurried out of the classroom, and I bumped into Renny. "Evangeline, what happened? I heard screaming from inside the classroom."

"Oh, somebody's potion went wrong." He nodded. "Very well. Shall I escort you back to your Common Room? You look tired." I hesitated, looking over at Ron, Hermione and Harry. Despite the fact that I wanted to work on the Polyjuice Potion with them, I knew Renny wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. "Yeah, I am kinda tired. Sorry, guys. I'll see you later."

* * *

A few hours later, Ron chewed me out for ditching them. "Why'd you leave us, huh? Had to take a nap, did you?!"

"Ron-"

"Couldn't be bothered to help out your friends, I suppose?!"

"Ron-"

"Trust you to back out on us!"

"Ron, will you let her speak!?"

I gave Hermione a grateful look. "Thanks, Hermione. Ron, what I was trying to say is that it wouldn't have been possibly for me to get away from Uncle Renny in able to help you."

"Why not?"

"Well...he's kinda disturbed by all this Chamber of Secrets business, and insists on escorting me to my classes. In other words, I can't help you in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom anymore." Harry sighed. "All right...but you will be able to help after we investigate Malfoy, right?" I nodded. "Sorry I won't be there to help you in the Slytherin Common Room."

* * *

A week later, we were walking through the Entrance Hall with Renny when we saw people gathered around the bulletin board, reading something there. Seamus and Dean waved us over. "They're starting a Dueling Club! First meeting tonight!" He spotted Renny, and smiled nervously. "Oh, um...hello, sir." Renny smiled at him. "Do not worry, young man. I do not bite." I giggled at this. _You do, however, know someone who does. _

Dean grinned. "I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might keep in handy one of these days..."

"What, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" Ron said, but he read the sign too, interested.

As we walked away, Ron looked over at us. "Could be useful. Shall we go?" Harry, Hermione and I nodded. Renny smiled. "I have not had a proper duel in years. My job keeps me rather busy, you see." Hermione looked up at him with interest. "Oh? What do you do?"

"I am a personal aide to a very important man."

"_Really?_ Who is it?"

"I am afraid that is privileged information."

Ron spoke up. "So, you're a duelist, huh?" Renny smiled. "I am, but that was a long time ago." I grinned. "So? That doesn't mean you've lost your touch. Let's do it!"

* * *

At 8:00 that evening, we headed towards the Great Hall. The long dining tables had disappeared and were replaced by a golden stage, lit with thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black, and it looked as though most of the school was inside, holding their wands and looking excited.

"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" Hermione said curiously as we wove our way through the crowd. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young-maybe it'll be him."

"As long as it's not-" Harry never finished his sentence, but groaned instead. Lockhart was making his way onto the stage, followed by Snape. Lockhart waved an arm for silence, and spoke up loudly. "Gather round, gather round! Can you all see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has given me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions-for full details, see my published works."

I could see Renny shaking with suppressed rage beside me.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape. He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself, and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry-you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, not to worry!" I groaned, and whispered in Harry's ear, "Wouldn't it be great if they finished each other off?"

Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed. Well, Lockhart did, with a lot of twirling of his hands, while Snape just jerked his head. They raised their wands like swords in front of them. "As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position. On the count of three, we will each cast our first spell. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

Ron scoffed. "I wouldn't bet on that."

"One-two-three-" Both of them raised their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent, and Snape cried out: _"Expelliarmus!"_ Lockhart was blasted backwards, slammed into a wall, and slid down to the floor.

Hermione looked worried. "Do you think he's all right?"

"Who cares?" Ron, Harry and I said together.

Lockhart got unsteadily to his feet. "Well, there you have it! That was a Disarming Charm-as you see, I've lost my wand-thank you, Miss Brown. An excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was extremely obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy-however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see..." Snape looked ready to kill.

Lockhart cleared his throat, and continued, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd care to help me-"

They moved through the crowd, and Lockhart paired me up with Renny. Snape got to the other three before Lockhart, though. He sneered, looking at Harry and Ron. "Time to split up the dream team, I think. Weasley, you partner Finnigan. Potter-" Harry edged nearer to Hermione. "I don't think so. Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger-you can partner Miss Bulstrode." Malfoy came over, smirking, followed by an extremely ugly girl.

"Face your partners! Now bow!"

Renny and I bowed to each other.

"Wands at the ready! When I count to three, cast your charms to Disarm your opponents-_only_ to Disarm them-we don't want any accidents-one...two...three-"

I raised my wand, and yelled out, "Stupify!" but Renny had already cast Expelliarmus at me, and I felt my wand fly out of my hand.

Other duels had gotten out of control. Lockhart was screaming for everyone to stop, but Snape finally restored order. A haze of green smoke hung over the scene. Neville and Justin lay on the floor, trying to catch their breath; Ron held up an ashen-faced Seamus, apologizing over and over for whatever his broken wand had done. Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving, though. Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione whimpered in pain. Both their wands lay forgotten on the floor next to them. Harry ran over and pulled Millicent off of her, which was no easy feat, considering Millicent's size.

Lockhart came through the crowd, looking at the chaos caused by the various duels. "Dear, dear...Up you go, Macmillan...Careful there, Miss Fawcett...Pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second, Boot..."

He looked around. "I think I'd better teach you how to _block_ unfriendly spells. Let's have a volunteer pair...Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you?" Snape strode over. "A bad idea, Professor Lockhart. Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's face went pink.

"How about Malfoy and Potter?" Snape said this with a twisted smile. "Excellent idea!" We backed away to give Harry and Malfoy room. "Now, Harry, when Draco points his wand at you, do _this_." He raised his own wand, mad a sort of wiggling movement, and dropped his wand. Renny smirked as he picked it up. "Whoops-my wand is a little overexcited-"

Snape whispered something in Malfoy's ear, and he nodded, smirking. Harry looked up at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"

Malfoy muttered something at Harry, who muttered something back.

Lockhart patted him on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!"

"What, drop my wand?"

Lockhart didn't seem to hear him, though. "Three-two-one-GO!" Malfoy raised his wand, and yelled out, _"Serpensortia!"_ People screamed as a huge black snake shot out of the end of his wand. The crowd backed away, afraid of getting bit. Snape began to make his way towards the snake. "Don't worry, Potter. I'll get rid of it."

"Allow me!" Lockhart shouted. He pointed his wand at the snake, and there was a loud bang; the snake, rather than vanishing, had been flung ten feet into the air and fell to the floor, hissing furiously. It headed straight towards Justin Finch-Fletchley, fangs bared. Just then, Harry ran at the snake, saying some at it in Parseltongue. The snake eyed Harry, then turned away from Justin. Harry looked at Justin, obviously hoping for a 'thanks', but Justin was glaring at him. "What do you think you're playing at!?" Justin turned and ran out of the Great Hall as Snape made the snake vanish.

Ron, Hermione and I pulled Harry out of the hallway, followed quickly by Renny. We made our way up to the Gryffindor Common Room, and Ron pushed Harry down into an armchair. "You're a Parselmouth!? Why didn't you tell us?!" Harry frowned, confused. "I'm a what?"

"A _Parselmouth_! You can talk to snakes!"

"I know. I mean, that's only the second time I've ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once-long story-but it was telling me it had never seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to-that was before I knew I was a wizard-" Ron stared at him. "A boa constrictor told you it had never seen Brazil?"

"So? I bet loads of people here can do it." I shook my head. "No, Harry, they can't. Harry, this is bad."

"What's bad? What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin-" Ron looked over at him. "Oh, so that's what you said to it!"

"What do you mean? You were there. You heard me."

"I heard you speaking Parseltongue. Snake language. You could've been saying anything-no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake on or something-it was creepy, you know-" Harry stared at the four of us. "I spoke a different language? But-I didn't realize-how can I speak a language without knowing it?" I shook my head.

"Look, do you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake from biting off Justin's head?! What does it matter how I did it so long as Justin doesn't have to join the Headless Hunt?" Renny finally spoke. "It matters because being able to talk to snakes is what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That is why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent."

Harry gaped at him, and Ron nodded. "Exactly. Now the whole school is going to think you're his great-great-great-great-grandson or something."

"But I'm not."

Hermione sighed. "You'll find that hard to prove. He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be."

* * *

The next morning, the snow last night had turned into a full-on blizzard. The last Herbology lesson of this term was canceled: Professor Sprout was going to fit socks and scarves on the Mandrakes, a job she entrusted only to herself, seeing as it was now very important to grow and revive Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey.

Harry worried about this by the fire in the Common Room, because it meant he wouldn't have a chance to explain to Justin what had happened. Ron and Hermione had engaged in a game of wizard's chess, and Renny was helping me with my last History of Magic homework before the holidays started.

Hermione frowned. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Harry. Go and find Justin if it's so important."

* * *

Half an hour later, as we made our way to the courtyard, we heard Peeves yelling something, and dozens of students running towards one area in particular. I turned to look at Ron, Hermione and Renny. "Let's go." We raced through the hallways, finally coming to a stop. Hermione let out a gasp when she saw Nearly Headless Nick floating there, Petrified, beside Justin, who was lying on the floor, also Petrified. Harry stood beside them.

McGonagall restored order with a loud bang from her wand and ordered the students back to their classes. Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff, came running up. _"Caught in the act!"_

"That will do, Macmillan!" As various teachers examined Nearly Headless Nick and Justin, Peeves burst into song:

_"Oh, Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done,_

_You're killing off students, you think it's good fun-"_

"That's enough, Peeves!" McGonagall snapped at him, and Peeves sped off.

Professor Sinistra and Professor Flitwick carried Justin up to the hospital wing, but nobody had any clue as to what to do for Nearly Headless Nick. Finally, McGonagall conjured a large fan, and handed it to Ernie, telling him to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs.

McGonagall turned to Harry. "This way, Potter."

"Professor, I swear I didn't-"

"This is out of my hands, Potter." We watched silently as McGonagall led Harry away.


	8. Chapter 8

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! PLEASE REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER EIGHT:**

* * *

Harry came back from Dumbledore's office that night, and I lept up from my place on the floor. "Well?" He grinned weakly. "Actually, it went a lot better than I would have expected." He told us about Hagrid backing him up, and how Dumbledore had finally manage to interrupt Hagrid long enough to say that he believed Harry.

I smiled. "Well, that's good, then, isn't it?"

"Yeah. But that's not going to stop the rest of the school from still believing it's me causing the attacks."

"Forget about them. Once you guys have the potion ready, you'll be able to prove it's Malfoy." Luckily, Renny wasn't there, so I didn't have to worry about him overhearing.

* * *

After the double attack on Nearly Headless Nick and Justin, people were signing up to go home for the holidays by the dozens. Ron groaned. "At this rate, it's just going to be us, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle here at Hogwarts. What a lovely Christmas it'll be." I sighed. "Sorry I can't stay to help you guys." Hermione smiled. "It's no problem. Besides, you said your Uncle Renny has some history books on Hogwarts, right? Maybe you'll find something in there about the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry, however, seemed glad that most of the students were going home for the holidays. I figured it was because he had gotten tired of people staring, muttering, and pointing at him; and he was probably sick of people avoiding him in the corridors.

Fred and George seemed to find all of this amusing, though. They made time to march ahead of Harry down the hallways, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through..."

Percy didn't find it one bit amusing, though. "It is_ not_ a laughing matter."

"Oh, get out of the way, Percy. Harry's in a hurry."

George laughed. "Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets to have a cup of tea with his fanged servant." Harry didn't look as though he minded, though. He told me that it was refreshing to have someone who thought that the idea of him being Slytherin's heir was ridiculous.

However, Malfoy seemed to be getting increasingly annoyed; his scowl grew deeper and deeper every time Fred and George acted that way. Ron grinned. "It's because he's bursting to say it's really him. You know how he hates anyone beating him at anything, and you're getting all the credit for his dirty work." Hermione smirked. "Not for long. The Polyjuice Potion's nearly ready. We'll be getting the truth out of him any day now."

* * *

Finally, the holidays came around, and I said goodbye to Ron, Harry, and Hermione and wished them good luck with Malfoy. Renny was waiting for me in the Entrance Hall, and we made our way down to the train. "I am sorry about this, but the Master insisted you come home for the...holidays."

"I know. Hey, do you think he'll let me borrow any of his history books on Hogwarts?" Renny gave me a stern look. "I do not believe that would be a wise decision. Besides, the Master does not want you poking around for any clues involving the Chamber of Secrets, or its whereabouts." I crossed my arms, pouting. "Fine."

* * *

We entered the castle, and headed for C.V.'s study. He looked up as we walked in. "Ah, Renfield. I see you managed to bring her back."

"Yes, Master."

"Very well. Dismissed, Renfield." Renny nodded, and left to prepare dinner. C.V. stood up. He studied me with his blue eyes. I opened my mouth to speak, and he held up a hand. "Yes, what Renfield told you is true. I did have you brought back here for the holidays because I am concerned about the happenings at the school."

"Really?"

"Indeed. And before you ask, I am not going to allow you access to any of my history books involving Hogwarts."

"Count, I just want to read up on the Chamber of Secrets."

"I do not want you asking any more questions about the Chamber of Secrets, understood?" I nodded. "Good. Now, I believe dinner is ready." I nodded, following him to the smaller of the two dining rooms, the one we used when C.V. wasn't hosting a formal event with other vampires.

* * *

The week leading up to Christmas passed uneventfully, and Renny woke me at 7:00 the morning of Christmas. "What's going on?"

"The Master stated that after you were finished eating, you were to join him in his study. Apparently, he has a surprise for you." I looked at him, confused. "What kind of surprise?"

"You will see."

* * *

After breakfast, just as Renny had said, he escorted me to C.V.'s study. "Master, I have brought Miss Gabrielle, as you commanded."

"Good. Dismissed, Renfield." Renfield bowed out of the room, leaving me alone with C.V. in his study. I looked at him nervously, waiting for him to speak. "Come with me." I followed him as he swept out of the room, leading me down various corridors. Finally, we stopped in front of a large pair of double doors. C.V. pushed the doors open, and I gasped at what was inside.

A huge indoor garden stood before me, and it had been enchanted to appear as though we were outside. Different plants and trees grew around the room, and a few circular tables with umbrella poles over them stood in various places. But what caught my attention was the huge pool that had the appearance of a medium-sized pond with a waterfall.

C.V. spoke, breaking my reverie. "I asked Dumbledore to assist me in creating this, and he agreed to help."

"I love it."

"Good. Now, the room can change from day to night at your will. The weather is often warm in this room. Also, the pond will change temperatures at your leisure." I grinned, then looked up at him, confused. "But...why are you giving me this? I thought you didn't celebrate holidays."

"That does not change the fact that I can give you gifts. The earrings from last year should be proof of that." I gaped at him. "That was you?!" He nodded. "Granted, Renfield did the actual shopping, but yes, it was me. Also, I had Dumbledore put a spell on Midnight's collar so that she would be the size of a normal house cat while at Hogwarts to keep the students and staff from panicking. She will, however, retain her true form while here." I looked down as Midnight came in, purring. I knelt down, petting her. "Thank you, Count. I really appreciate this."

It was at this moment that I decided not to call him C.V. anymore. He didn't deserve to be treated that way.

* * *

For the rest of the holiday, I spent most of my time in my garden room, either swimming, reading, or playing with Midnight. Midnight seemed to love it in my garden room. She'd finally kicked her candy obsession, and spent her time running around the room. The rest of the time I spent with Renny and Dracula, playing wizard's chess, at which I always lost, but I'd never been good at wizard's chess anyway. Sometimes Renny and Dracula would tell me about certain parts of history, but refused to talk about the Chamber of Secrets.

* * *

I was sorry when I had to go, but excited about seeing Harry, Ron and Hermione again. I also wanted to know if they had managed to get a confession out of Malfoy. Renny took me to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. I hugged him. "Bye, Renny. I'll see you this summer." Midnight purred, rubbing her face up against Renny's chest, and he laughed. "Looks like you are not the only one who is sorry to leave the Master and myself." He smiled. "I will miss the both of you as well. Take care, young one." I grinned, waving at him as I boarded the train with Midnight in my arms.

* * *

When I returned to school, though, I was surprised by two facts that Ron and Harry informed me of: One, Malfoy wasn't the one causing the attacks; and two, Hermione's transformation had gone wrong, seeing as the hair she had got off of Millicent Bulstrode's robe was actually cat hair, giving her the appearance of part girl, part cat. We visited her every evening, bringing her class work with us.

"If I'd sprouted whiskers, I would take a break from homework," grumbled Ron as he put a stack of books on her bedside table. "Don't be silly. I've got to keep up." The hair had started to fade from her face, and her eyes were turning back to brown. She dropped her voice. "I don't suppose you've got any new leads?"

Ron crossed his arms. "I was so sure it was Malfoy." Harry looked over at me. "What about you, Evangeline? Did your uncle let you look at his history books?" I shook my head. "No. He said I should stop trying to investigate the Chamber of Secrets."

I spotted something sticking out from under Hermione's pillow. "What's that?"

"Nothing." She tried to hide it, but Ron quickly snatched it, and began reading it out loud.

**_To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of _**_Wit__ch Weekly's_**_ Most Charming Smile Award._**

He looked up at her, a revolted look on his face. "You sleep with this under your _pillow_?" Hermione was saved from answering, though, when Madam Pomfrey came over and shooed us out, saying it was time for Hermione to take her medicine.

* * *

"Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met, or what?" Ron asked me and Harry as we began to make our way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Snape had given us so much homework, Ron was saying he'd be in his sixth year before he completed it. "I wish I'd asked Hermione how many rat tails you add to a Hair-Raising Potion." We stopped dead, hearing someone yelling from the floor above us. "That's Filch." We ran up the stairs, and hid out of sight. "You don't think someone else has been attacked, do you?"

_"-even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to Dumbledore-"_ We heard his footsteps stomping down the corridor, and a door slammed. We peeked around the corner. Filch had been at his usual lookout post where Mrs. Norris had been attacked, and we saw instantly what Filch had been shouting about. A flood of water reached over half the corridor, and it looked like water was still coming from under the door to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Now that Filch had gone, we could hear her sobs echoing off the bathroom walls.

"Now what's up with her?" said Ron. Harry sighed. "Let's go check." I pushed open the door to her bathroom, and, holding our robes up around our ankles, we stepped inside. Moaning Myrtle was crying louder than ever, and seemed to be hiding in her usual toilet. The bathroom was dark because the candles had been extinguished by all the water. "What's up, Myrtle?"

"Who's that? Come to throw something else at me?" I waded across the stall towards her, and said, "Why would I throw something at you?" Myrtle came out, her face stained with silvery tears. "Don't ask me. Here I am, minding my own business, and somebody thinks it's funny to throw a book at me." Ron frowned. "But it can't hurt if someone throws something at you. I mean, it'd just go right through you." Myrtle sped towards him until she was inches from his face, anger clearly written on her face. "Sure! Let's all throw books at Myrtle because she can't feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her _stomach_!" She put her fist through Ron's stomach. "Fifty points if it goes through her _head_!" Her fist went through his head.

Harry spoke up. "Who threw it at you, anyway?"

"I don't know. I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head." She glared at Ron. "It's over there." We looked over at the sink where Myrtle was pointing, and saw a small black book lying there, soaking wet, like everything else in the bathroom. Harry moved to pick it up, but Ron flung out an arm. "What's wrong?"

"Are you crazy? It could be dangerous." I snorted. "Are you kidding? How could it possibly be dangerous?"

"You'd be surprised. Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated-Dad's told me-there was that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read **Sonnets of a Sorcerer** spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book you could never stop reading. You just had to wander around with your nose in a book, trying to do everything one-handed. And-"

"Okay, I get the point," said Harry. He bent down. "Well, we won't know unless we look at it." Harry picked it up, and it seemed to be a diary. The date said it was fifty years old. On the first page, 'T.M. Riddle' was written. Ron approached warily, looking over his shoulder. "Hang on...I know that name. T.M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago."

"How on Earth do you know that?"

"Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention. That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it too." Harry peeled the damp pages apart, inspecting the book. There was nothing written on a single page. "He never wrote in it."

Ron frowned. "I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?" Harry looked at the back cover, and saw it came from some variety store on Vauxhall Road, London. "He must've been Muggle-born, to have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road." Ron sighed. "Well, it's not much use, anyway." He dropped his voice. "Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle's nose." I glared at him as Harry pocketed it.

* * *

Hermione, being back to normal, left the hospital wing at the start of February. Harry showed her the diary and told her how we'd found it. "Maybe it has hidden powers," she said, looking at it with interest.

"If it does, it's hiding them well. I don't know why you didn't chuck it, Harry."

Harry frowned, thinking hard. "I wish I knew why someone did try to chuck it. I wouldn't mind knowing how T.M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school, either." Ron shrugged. "Could've been anything. Maybe he got thirty O. or saved a teacher from the giant squid. Maybe he murdered Myrtle; that would've done everyone a favor."

Harry, Hermione and I looked at each other. Ron stared at us, confused. "What?"

"Well, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, right? That's what Malfoy said."

"Yeah..."

"And this diary is fifty years old," said Hermione, tapping it.

"So?"

"Oh, Ron, wake up! We know the person who opened the Chamber last time was expelled _fifty years ago_. And we know T.M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school_ fifty years ago_. Well, what if Riddle got his special award for _catching the Heir of Slytherin_? His diary would probably tell us everything-where the Chamber is, and how to open it, and what sort of creature is in the Chamber-the person who's behind the attacks this time wouldn't want that lying around, would they?"

"That's a _brilliant_ idea, Hermione," Ron said, "with one tiny flaw. _There's nothing written in his diary._" Hermione pulled her wand out of her bag. "It might be invisible ink!" She tapped the diary and said, _"Aparecium!"_ Nothing happened. Hermione pulled what looked like a bright red eraser out of her bag. "It's a Revealer, I got in Diagon Alley." She tried rubbing on January first. Nothing showed up. Ron rolled his eyes. "I'm telling you, there's nothing in there. Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn't be bothered to fill it in."

* * *

Despite this, Harry seemed more keen than ever to find out who Riddle was. The next day on our break, we headed for the trophy room. Riddle's gold shield was in a corner cabinet. It didn't describe why it had been given to him ("Good thing, too, or it'd be bigger, and I'd still be polishing it," Ron said). We did find his name on an old Medal for Magical Merit, and on a list of old Head Boys. Ron looked disgusted. "He sounds like Percy. Prefect, Head Boy...probably top of every class-" Hermione looked at him. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

* * *

The mood at Hogwarts had grown more hopeful, since there had been no attacks since the one on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was happy to report that the Mandrakes were getting moody and secretive, which signaled that they were quickly leaving childhood. "The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again," we heard her telling Filch one afternoon. "And after that, it won't be long until we're cutting them up and stewing them. You'll have Mrs. Norris back soon."

Harry told us that he thought the Heir of Slytherin was beginning to lose their nerve, considering it was getting riskier and riskier, what with all of Hogwarts on high alert.

Ernie Macmillan, though, still seemed to think that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin, because he had 'given himself away' at the Dueling Club. Peeves didn't help matters much: he kept showing up in the corridors singing, "Oh, Potter, you rotter," with a dance routine.

Lockhart seemed to be under the impression he'd made the attacks stop. We heard him saying so to McGonagall as the Gryffindors lined up for Transfiguration. "I don't think there will be any more trouble, Minerva. I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him. You know what, this school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more now, but I think I know just the thing..."

* * *

His idea of a morale-booster didn't show itself until breakfast on February fourteenth. As I walked into the Great Hall, I stopped dead, staring around me in disbelief. The walls were covered with large pink flowers. Even worse, heart-shaped confetti fell from the pale blue ceiling. I walked over to the Gryffindor table, where Ron and Hermione sat.

Harry came in a short time later, and wore the same look of shock I had worn when I first entered. As he sat down beside us, he turned to Ron, confused. "What's going on?"

Ron pointed at Lockhart, who was sitting at the staff table, wearing bright pink robes to match the decorations, and was waving for silence. A muscle was going in McGonagall's cheek, and Snape looked as though he'd just been force-fed a large beaker of Skele-Gro.

"Happy Valentine's Day! And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this surprise for you all-and it doesn't end here!" He clapped his hands, and a dozen surly dwarfs came through the doors to the Great Hall. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps. "My friendly, card-carrying cupids! They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"

I began choking on my pumpkin juice, and Harry had to pound me on the back for a full minute. Professor Flitwick had his head buried in his hands, and Snape looked like he would force-feed poison to the first person who asked him for a Love Potion.

"Hermione, please tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," Ron said as we left the Great Hall to go to our first lesson. Hermione started rifling through her bag, looking for her schedule, and didn't answer, her cheeks rather pink.

* * *

All day long, the dwarfs kept coming into the classrooms to deliver valentines, much to the annoyance of the teachers. As we headed upstairs for Charms, one of the dwarfs caught up with us. "Oi, you! 'Arry Potter!" Harry turned to get away, but the dwarf cut through the crowd by kicking people in the shins, and reached Harry before he'd gone two feet. "I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person." As he said this, he twanged his harp in a threatening manner.

_"Not here." _Harry tried to get away, but the dwarf grabbed his bag. "Stay _still_!" Harry began tugging on his bag, trying to get away. "Let me go!" The bag split in two. His books, wand, parchment and quill fell out, and his ink bottle smashed over everything. Harry scrambled around frantically, trying to pick it up before the dwarf could deliver his message.

"What's going on here?" Draco's voice drawled, causing Harry to try and stuff his things back into his ripped bag even quicker.

"What's all this commotion?" Percy had just showed up.

Harry tried to run for it, but the dwarf tackled him around the ankles, bringing him crashing to the floor, and he sat on Harry's ankles to keep him from getting away.

_**"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,**_

_**His hair is as dark as a blackboard.**_

_**I wish he was mine, he's really divine,**_

_**The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."**_

Harry looked as though he wanted to vanish on the spot. He got up, stumbling a bit because the dwarf had been sitting on his ankles. Percy did his best to disperse the crowd, some of whom were crying tears of laughter. "Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class now._ And_ you, Malfoy-"

We looked over at Malfoy, and saw that he'd picked up Riddle's diary. Harry clenched his fists. "Give that back."

"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" He seemed not to have noticed the year on the cover, and thought it was Harry's own diary. I glanced out of the corner of my eye, and saw that Ginny Weasley was staring from the diary to Harry, looking terrified.

Percy spoke. "Hand it over, Malfoy."

"When I've had a look."

"As a school prefect-"

Harry had lost his patience. _"Expelliarmus!"_ The diary flew out of Malfoy's hands, and Ron caught it. "Harry! No magic in the corridors! I'll have to report this, you know!" Malfoy looked furious, and as Ginny passed him, he yelled, "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!" Ginny covered her face with her hands, running into her class. Ron pulled out his wand, but Harry and I pulled him away. Ron didn't need to spend all of Charms belching slugs.

Later on, Harry showed us that although all his other books were covered in ink, Riddle's diary was perfectly clean. I shrugged it off, and Ron didn't seemed to care much either: large purple bubbles were blossoming out of the end of his wand.

* * *

That night, Harry had gone up to his dormitory earlier than any of the other boys that shared the dormitory with him. Half an hour later, he came running back down the stairs, face pale. "What's wrong?"

"It was Hagrid. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."

Ron, Hermione and I stared at him in shocked silence.

* * *

**WELL, THAT'S IT FOR THIS CHAPTER! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! PLEASE REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER NINE:**

* * *

We'd always known Hagrid had a fondness for large, monstrous creatures. For a brief period last year, he'd tried to raise a baby dragon in his hut, naming it 'Norbert'; and I knew I'd never forget about Fluffy, his giant, three-headed dog. If he'd heard about a monster hiding somewhere in the castle when he was a student, he would've gone out of his way to get a glimpse of it. I could imagine Hagrid feeling sympathetic for the monster, trying to free it, but I knew for a fact that Hagrid would never have meant to kill anyone.

"Riddle might have got the wrong person," Hermione said. "Maybe it was some other monster that was attacking people."

"How many monsters do you think this place can hold?" Ron asked her.

Harry sighed. "We always knew Hagrid had been expelled. And the attacks must have stopped after Hagrid got kicked out, or Riddle wouldn't have gotten his award." Ron frowned. "Riddle does sound like Percy-who asked him to squeal on Hagrid, anyway?"

"But the monster had killed someone, Ron," Hermione said.

"And Riddle was going to go back to some Muggle orphanage if they closed Hogwarts. I don't blame him for wanting to stay here," Harry said. I thought hard. "You ran into Hagrid in Knockturn Alley, right, Harry?" Harry nodded. "He was buying Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent."

We were silent for a long time, and Hermione finally voiced the question that was on all of our minds. "Do you think we should go and ask Hagrid about it?" Ron scoffed. "That would be a cheerful visit: 'Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'" I ran my fingers through my hair. "Look, let's not ask him anything unless there's another attack." The others nodded.

* * *

As more and more days went by without Harry telling us about the disembodied voice, we became hopeful that we wouldn't need to talk to Hagrid about why he'd been expelled at all. It had been four months since Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified, and everyone was of the opinion that the attacker, whoever they were, had given up on the attacks. Peeves had become bored with his 'Oh, Potter, you rotter' song; Ernie Macmillan seemed to have gotten over the idea that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin; and in March, several of the Mandrakes threw a loud party, which made Professor Sprout very happy.

"The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they've fully matured. Then we'll be able to revive those poor people in the hospital wing," she told us one afternoon.

* * *

However, we second years were given something else to think about during the Easter holidays. We were supposed to choose our subjects for the third year, something that Hermione took very seriously. "It could affect our whole future," she said to us as we looked over our lists of new subjects, marking them with checks. "I just want to give up Potions," said Harry. Ron groaned. "We can't. We keep all our old subjects, or I would've ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"But that's important!" Hermione said, looking shocked. I scoffed. "Not the way Lockhart teaches it. The only thing I learned from him all year is not to set pixies loose."

Neville had been sent letters of advice from all the witches and wizards in his family, all giving him different advice. Confused and nervous, he sat in a chair by the fire, asking people if they thought Arithmancy sounded more difficult than Study of Ancient Runes. Dean Thomas, who grew up with Muggles, ended up closing his eyes and jabbing his wand at the list, then picking the subjects it landed on.

Harry told me, Ron and Hermione that it would be laughable for him to ask the Dursleys for advice on which subjects to pick. Not that he didn't get advice: Percy seemed only too happy to lend his advice. "Depends where you want to go, Harry. It's never too early to think about the future, so I'd recommend Divination. People say Muggle Studies is a soft option, but I personally think wizards should have a thorough understanding of the non-magical community, especially if they're thinking of working in close contact with them-look at my father, he has to deal with Muggle business all the time. My brother Charlie was always more of an outdoor type, so he went for Care of Magical Creatures. Play to your strengths, Harry."

I picked Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, since Ron and Harry were taking it as well, so I'd at least have someone friendly in the class, even if I was horrible at it.

* * *

The night before Gryffindor's Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, Harry came into the Common room, looking exhausted as he started on his Potions homework. I pitied him, since Wood was working them hard: they had practices every night after dinner, leaving him only enough time for practices and homework.

However, as he began to climb the stairs to his dormitory, Neville came down, his face pale. "Harry-I don't know who did it-I just found-" Harry followed him up the stairs, leaving me, Ron, and Hermione behind, confused. Ron shrugged, following them. When the two of them came back down, they told us Riddle's diary was gone. I stared at Harry, stunned. Hermione gasped. "But-only a Gryffindor could have stolen-nobody else knows our password-" Harry nodded. "Exactly."

* * *

We headed for the Great Hall the next morning, and Wood greeted Harry happily. "Perfect Quidditch conditions! Harry, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast." Harry had been staring up and down the table, and I knew he was searching for the person who may have stolen Riddle's diary. Hermione kept telling him to report it, but he refused.

As we left the Great Hall with Harry to get his Quidditch things, Harry stopped dead. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"The voice! I just heard it again-didn't you?" Ron and I shook our heads, but Hermione smacked her hand on her forehead. "Harry-I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!" She darted off, leaving us staring after her. I frowned. "What does she understand?"  
Ron grinned. "'Cause that's what Hermione does. When in doubt, go to the library. You'd better hurry up, Harry. It's nearly eleven-the match-"

I waited in the Common Room as Harry grabbed his Nimbus Two Thousand, and we headed for the field. Ron and I cheered from the stands as the teams walked onto the field. Suddenly, McGonagall came onto the field, holding a giant purple megaphone. Her voice boomed out across the pitch as she spoke into it. "This match has been canceled." Ron and I glanced at each other, then began shouting in anger along with everyone else in the stadium.

"All students are to make their way back to their House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses can give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!" Ron and I made our way out of the stands, and headed down towards Harry and McGonagall. "Potter, I think you'd better come with me." As we showed up, panting, she looked up at us. "Yes, perhaps you should come too, Weasley, Lestrade..." As we walked off the pitch with her, we could hear mutinous grumbling and worried whispers echoing through the pitch.

We followed McGonagall back into the school and up the staircase, stopping in front of the hospital wing. "This will come as a bit of a shock. There has been another attack...another_ double _attack." McGonagall pushed the door open, and we entered. Madam Pomfrey was bent over a sixth-year with long, curly hair. In the bed next to her was-_"Hermione!"_

Hermione lay perfectly still, her eyes open and glossy. "They were found near the library. I don't suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them..." She held up a small mirror. We didn't take our eyes off Hermione as we shook our heads. "I'll escort you back to the Gryffindor Common room. I need to address the students in any case."

* * *

"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch matches and training are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities." The entire common room was silent as she rolled up her parchment. "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely the school will be closed unless the culprit behind the attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who might know anything to come forward."

She climbed out of the portrait hole, and the room began buzzing immediately. "That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff," said Lee Jordan, counting on his fingers. "Haven't any of the teachers noticed that all the Slytherins are safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The _Heir_ of Slytherin, the _monster_ of Slytherin-why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?!" He yelled, to nods and scattered applause.

Percy was sitting in a chair behind Lee, looking pale and stunned. "Percy's in shock," George whispered to us. "That Ravenclaw girl-Penelope Clearwater-she's a prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would attack a prefect." I hugged my knees, trying to get the image of a statuesque Hermione lying in the hospital wing. Ron looked over at Harry. "What're we going to do? Do you think they suspect Hagrid?"

"We've got to go and talk to him. I can't believe it's him this time, but if he set the monster loose last time, he'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets, and that's a start."

"But McGonagall said we've got to stay in the common room unless we're in class-"

Harry looked around, and dropped his voice. "I think it's time to get my dad's old cloak out again."

* * *

That night, we hurried to Hagrid's hut under the Invisibility Cloak, and pulled it off only when we'd arrived right outside his door. Moments after I had knocked, Hagrid flung the door open. He was holding a crossbow, and Fang was barking loudly. Hagrid lowered his weapon when he saw it was us. "Oh. What're you three doin' here?"

"What's that for?" Harry asked, pointing at the crossbow. "Nothin'-nothin'-I've bin expectin'-doesn' matter-Sit down-I'll make some tea-" Hagrid didn't seem aware of what he was doing. He nearly extinguished the fire, spilling water from the kettle on it, and then accidentally smashed the teapot with a jerk of his hand. I frowned. "Are you okay, Hagrid? Did you hear about Hermione?"

"Oh, I heard, all right." Hagrid kept glancing out the windows. He poured us large mugs of boiling water (he'd forgotten to add teabags) and was just putting some fruitcake on a plate when there was a knock on the door. Hagrid dropped the fruitcake, and Harry, Ron and I hid under the Cloak, retreating into a corner.

Hagrid grabbed his crossbow again, and opened the door. Dumbledore stood there, beside another man I didn't recognize. "That's Dad's boss!" Ron said in a low voice. "Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic!" Harry elbowed him in the ribs. Hagrid had gone pale, glancing from Dumbledore to Cornelius Fudge. "Bad business, Hagrid," said Fudge. "Very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-borns. Things have gone far enough. Ministry's got to act."

Hagrid looked over at Dumbledore. "You know I never, Professor."

"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence."

"Look, Albus, Hagrid's record is against him. Ministry's got to do something-the school governor's have been in touch-"

"Yet again, Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away won't help in the least." Fudge fidgeted uncomfortably. "Look at it from my point of view. I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen doing something. If it turns out it wasn't Hagrid, he'll be back and no more said, but I've got to take him. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty."

"Take me? Take me where?" Fudge didn't look Hagrid in the eyes. "For a short stretch only. Not a punishment, merely a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology."

"Not Azkaban?" Before Fudge could answer, there was another knock on the door. Dumbledore answered, and Lucius Malfoy strode into Hagrid's hut, smiling a cold and self-satisfied smile. "Already here, Fudge. Good, good..."

"What're you doin' here?! Get outta my house!"

"My dear man, please believe me when I say I take no pleasure in being inside your-er-do you call this a house? I simply called at the school and was told that the headmaster was here." Dumbledore looked over at him. "And what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?" His tone was polite, but I noticed a blue fire in his eyes.

"Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," Malfoy said, taking out a roll of parchment, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension. You'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there will be no more Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what an awful loss that would be to the school." Fudge looked alarmed at this. "Oh, now, see here, Lucius-Dumbledore suspended-last thing we want just now-"

"The appointment-or suspension-of the headmaster is a matter for the governors, Fudge. And as Dumbledore has failed to stop these attacks-"

"See here, Malfoy, if _Dumbledore_ can't stop them-I mean to say, who _can_?" Malfoy smirked. "That remains to be seen. But as all twelve of us have voted-" Hagrid lept to his feet. "An' how many did yeh have ter threaten an' blackmail before they agreed, Malfoy, eh!?"

"Dear, dear, you know, that temper will lead you into trouble one of these days, Hagrid. I would advise you not to shout at the Azkaban guards like that. They wouldn't like it at all."

"Yeh can' take Dumbledore! Take him away, an' the Muggle-borns won' stand a chance! There'll be killin' next!"

"Calm yourself, Hagrid," Dumbledore said. "If the governors wish for my removal, I shall of course step aside-"

"But-" Fudge stuttered.

_"No!"_ Hagrid growled.

"However, you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will be given at Hogwarts to those that ask for it." For a second, I could've sworn that Dumbledore was looking right at the spot where Ron, Harry and I were hiding.

"Admirable sentiments. We shall all miss your highly individual way of running things, Albus, and can only hope that your successor will be able to prevent any more-ah-_killins_." Malfoy went to the cabin door, and bowed Dumbledore out. Fudge waited for Hagrid to go ahead of him, but Hagrid took a deep breath, and said loudly, "If anyone wanted ter find out some stuff, all they'd have ter do would be ter follow the spiders. That'd lead 'em right. That's all I'm sayin'." Just as he stepped out, he added, "An' someone'll need ter feed Fang while I'm away."

The door banged shut after him and Ron pulled off the Invisibility Cloak. "We're in trouble now. With Dumbledore gone, there'll be an attack a day. They might as well close the school tonight."


	10. Chapter 10

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! PLEASE REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER TEN:**

* * *

Summer was starting to make its way across the grounds, but with no Hagrid making his way across the grounds with Fang close at his heels, it didn't seem right; and it was no better inside the castle, where things were just as gloomy with Dumbledore gone. We'd tried to visit Hermione in the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey had barred any and all visitors. "We're taking no more chances. No, I'm sorry, there's a strong chance the attacker might come and try to finish these people off."

With Dumbledore gone, fear had now spread even quicker than before. One person, though, seemed to be enjoying himself despite the fear plaguing the school. Malfoy was strutting around the school like he'd just been made Head Boy. We didn't see what he was so pleased about until the Potions lesson two weeks after Dumbledore and Hagrid had left. "I always thought Father might be the one to get rid of Dumbledore. I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster this school's ever seen. Maybe we'll get a decent one now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in..." He turned to look at Snape. "Professor, why don't _you_ apply for the headmaster's job?"

"Now, now, Malfoy. Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back among us soon."

Malfoy smirked at this. "Yeah, right. I expect you'd have Father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job-I'll tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir..." Snape walked off, smirking, and Malfoy continued. "I'm shocked the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now. Bet you five Galleons the next one dies-pity it wasn't Granger-"

The bell rang just then, which was lucky for Ron, who had leapt off his chair, meaning his attempts to get at Malfoy went unnoticed. "Let me at him," Ron snarled as Harry and I hung onto his arms. "I don't care, I don't need my wand, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands-"

"Hurry up, I've got to take you to Herbology," Snape said loudly over the class's heads, and we walked off, still hanging onto Ron, who was struggling to get free. We only let go of him when we'd reached the greenhouses.

Herbology class was rather quiet. Two of our number were missing: Justin and Hermione. Professor Sprout had us all pruning Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. We had just tipped some withered stalks on the compost heap when we came face-to-face with Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff. "I just wanted to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. I guess we're in the same boat now, so-" he stuck out his hand, and Harry shook it.

Ernie went to work on the Shrivelfig next to me, Harry, and Ron. "That Draco Malfoy, he seems very pleased about all this. Do you know, I think he might be Slytherin's heir." Ron rolled his eyes. "That's clever of you."

"D'you think it's Malfoy, Harry?

"No." He said this so firmly that Ernie stared at him. A second later, Harry had nudged me and Ron hard in the ribs. "Ow! What was that for?" He nodded over at the spiders outside the window, and Ron's face fell. "Oh, yeah. But we can't follow them now..." Harry watched them closely. "Looks like they're headed for the Forbidden Forest." I shuddered at his words.

* * *

As Professor Sprout walked us to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry turned to me and Ron, talking in a low voice. "We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again. We can take Fang into the forest with us. He's used to going into the forest, he might be some help." I nodded, and Ron's voice sounded shaky. "Aren't there-aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?" Harry didn't answer, instead saying, "There are good things in there, too. The centaurs are all right, and the unicorns..."

Lockhart came into the classroom, grinning broadly, and we all stared at him. "Come now! Why all these long faces?" He was met with a stony silence. "Don't you people realize the danger has passed? The culprit has been taken away-"

"Says who?" Dean Thomas said loudly. "My dear boy, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid away if he wasn't one hundred percent sure Hagrid wasn't guilty." Ron glared at him. "Oh, yes, he would!"

"I flatter myself I know a touch more about Hagrid's arrest than you, Mr. Weasley." Ron opened his mouth to respond, but Harry kicked him under the table. "We weren't there, remember?"

Lockhart's irritating cheerfulness, his hints that he'd always known Hagrid was no good, and his utter confidence the whole thing was over made me want to chuck one of his books in his face. I looked at a note that Harry had passed to me. It was identical to the one he'd passed Ron, and said,

_**Let's do it tonight.**_

Ron and I looked over at Hermione's empty seat, and nodded, Ron looking rather pale.

* * *

Harry went to get his Invisibility Cloak, and sat on it as we waited for everybody else to leave. The twins challenged us to games of Exploding Snap while Ginny watched silently from Hermione's usual chair. We kept losing the games on purpose, so trying to finish the games quickly, but it was still well after midnight when Fred, George and Ginny went to bed. Once they had closed their respective dormitory doors, Harry, Ron and I threw the Cloak over ourselves, and left the common room.

We had a tough time making our way out of the castle, since so many teachers were patrolling the corridors. Finally we reached the Entrance Hall, and slipped outside.

"'Course," Ron said quietly, "we might get to the forest and find there's nothing to follow. Those spiders might not have been going there at all. I know it looks like they were headed in that general direction, but..." His voice trailed off as we reached Hagrid's house. When I pushed open the doors, Fang bounded around, barking happily when he saw us. We were worried he might wake somebody back up at the castle, so Harry fed him some treacle toffee from the tin on the mantelpiece, which glued his jaws together. Harry placed the Cloak on Hagrid's table, seeing as we wouldn't need it in the dark forest. I patted Fang. "Come on, boy, we're going for a walk."

Harry and I both raised our wands, and muttered, _"Lumos!"_ Ron smiled weakly. "Good thinking. I'd light my wand too, but you know, it'd probably blow up or something." I tapped Ron on the shoulder, gesturing to the spiders scuttling on the ground ahead of us. Ron sighed. "Okay, let's go." We had been walking for about twenty minutes when the trees overhead got thicker than ever, and Harry's and my wands showed that the spiders were leaving the path. Harry and I squinted after them, trying to see where they were going, but we couldn't see beyond the glow emitting from the ends of our wands.

"What do you reckon?" Ron spoke, his voice shaking slightly. "We've come this far." We headed off the path, and began moving slower because there were tree roots and stumps in the way. We'd been walking for about half an hour when the ground began sloping downwards. Suddenly, Fang barked, startling the three of us. Ron began gripping Harry's elbow. "What is it?"

Harry peered into the darkness, listening hard. "There's something moving over there. Listen...sounds like something big..." Somewhere to our right, we could hear it snapping branches as it headed our way. Ron gasped. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no..." I glared at him. "Shut up! It'll hear you!"

"Hear _me_?! It's already heard _Fang_!"

There was a strange rumbling, and then a silence. "What do you think it's doing?" Harry asked in a low whisper.

"Probably getting ready to pounce." We waited, hardly daring to move. "You think it's gone?"

"Dunno..."

To our right, a sudden blaze of light so bright that we had to throw up our arms to shield our eyes. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got caught in some thorns and yelped even louder.

"Harry! Evangeline! It's our car!"

"What?!"

"Come on!"

Mr. Weasley's car stood there in the middle of trees under a roof of dense branches. As Ron walked toward it, the car moved toward him. "It's been here all this time! Look at it. The forest's turned it wild..." The sides of the car were scratched and caked with mud. It seemed to have taken to driving around the forest on its own. Fang didn't seem too crazy about the car: he kept close to me, and I could hear him whimpering quietly. As our breathing slowed down, Harry and I stuffed our wands back into our robes. Ron grinned, patting the car. "And we thought it was going to attack us! I wondered where it had gone!"

Harry and I looked around for any signs of the spiders, but they had all scuttled away from the glare of the headlights. "We've lost the trail. Come on, let's go and find them." Ron stared above me and Harry, eyes wide with fear, unable to speak. "Ron, what-" A second later, I felt myself lifted into the air by two immensely long, hairy legs. As I hung upside down, I saw the other six legs. I heard Fang yelping nearby, and it seemed as though Fang, Harry and Ron were being carried by three of the same creatures.

We reached a hollow, and I nearly threw up when I saw the scene before me. Huge spiders were swarming all over the place. I fell to the ground, having been dropped by the spider carrying me, and judging from the thumps next to me, Harry, Ron, and Fang had also been dropped. Ron's eyes were popping, and his mouth was open in a silent scream. Suddenly, we realized that the spider that had been carrying Harry was saying something. "Aragog! Aragog!"

From the middle of a domed web, the largest spider of the lot emerged. There was grey on the black of his body and legs, and he was blind. "What is it?"

"Men."

"Is it Hagrid?"

"Strangers."

"Kill them. I was sleeping..."

Harry finally spoke up. "We're friends of Hagrid's!" Aragog paused. "Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before..." I caught my breath, and spoke. "Hagrid's in trouble. That's why we've come."

"In trouble?" If I didn't know any better, I could've sworn that Aragog sounded concerned. "But why has he sent you?"

"They think, up at the school, that Hagrid's been setting a-a-something on the students. They've taken him to Azkaban." Aragog began clicking his pincers furiously, and the sound was echoed by all the other spiders in the hollow. I felt sick with terror.

"But that was years ago. Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed I was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free."

Harry's voice was shaking now. "So-so you didn't from the Chamber of Secrets?"

"I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's kindness..."

"So you never attacked anyone?"

"Never. It would have been have my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle except the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and quiet..."

"But then...do you know what _did_ kill that girl? Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people-" Harry was cut off by the sounded of their pincers clicking furiously. "The thing that lives in the castle is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others. Well do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go when I sensed it moving about the castle."

"What is it?" There was more loud clicking and rustling. It seemed as though the spiders were closing in on us. "We do not speak of it! We do not name it! I never told Hagrid the name of that dread creature, though he asked me, many times." The spiders seemed to be getting even closer. "Um...right. Well, we'll just go, then..."

"Go? I think not..."

"But-but-"

"My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Good-bye, friend of Hagrid."

Even as Harry and I reached for our wands, we knew it was hopeless, but as we tried to stand and die fighting, a long, loud note sounded, and a blaze of light entered the hollow. Mr. Weasley's car was thundering down the slope, horn screeching as it knocked spiders out of its way; many were thrown onto their backs, their legs waving in the air. "Get Fang!" Harry dived into the front seat, and I jumped into the back with Fang. Ron went into the driver's seat, his mouth still open in the silent scream.

The car acted of its on volition, speeding up the slope, out of the hollow, and crashed through the forest, with the car taking shortcuts it had obviously discovered during its time in here. "Are you okay?" Ron stared straight ahead, unable to speak. Finally the car stopped outside the forest. I let a howling Fang out, and he ran back to Hagrid's cabin, his tail between his legs. Harry, Ron and I got out, too, and after Harry gave the car a grateful pat, it went into reverse and disappeared back into the forest.

Harry and I went into Hagrid's cabin to get the Cloak and check on Fang, who was shaking violently under his blanket in a corner. When we went back outside, Ron was throwing up in the pumpkin patch. "Follow the spiders," Ron said weakly, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive."

"I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his," I said.

"That's exactly Hagrid's problem! He always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out to be, and look where it's got him! A cell in Azkaban! What was the point of sending us in there?! What have we found out!?"

Harry flung the Cloak over the three of us, prodding Ron in the back to make him walk. "We found out that Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets. He was innocent." Ron snorted. Obviously, hatching Aragog in a cupboard wasn't his idea of innocent.

* * *

As we entered the castle, Harry adjusted the Cloak to make sure our feet were hidden, and made our way silently back to the Gryffindor common room. Harry took off the Invisibility Cloak, and we sat down, quietly talking it over. "The creature that's hiding in the castle seems like a monster Voldemort-" Ron and I winced at Harry saying that, "-even other monsters don't want to name it. But we're no closer to finding out what it is, or how it's Petrifying its victims. Even Hagrid never knew what was in the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry seemed to be thinking hard, and then his eyes snapped open. "That girl who died. Aragog said she was found in a bathroom. What if she's still there?" Ron and I stared at him in shock. "Do you mean-Moaning Myrtle!?"


	11. Chapter 11

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! PLEASE REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN:**

* * *

Ron glared down at his toast the next morning. "All those times we were in that bathroom, and she was just three toilets away. All the chances we had to ask her, and now..." It'd been hard enough looking for the spiders. Escaping the teachers long enough to try to get into the girls' bathroom right next to the area of the first attack would be almost impossible.

But something happened in our first lesson of the day, Transfiguration, that drove the Chamber of Secrets out of our minds for the first time in months. McGonagall informed us that our exams would take place on the first of June, one week from today. "Exams?! We're still getting exams!?"  
There was a loud bang as Neville's wand slipped, vanishing one of the legs on his desk. McGonagall restored it with a wave of her wand, and turned, frowning to Seamus. "The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education. The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard."

Mutinous muttering rippled through the room, and McGonagall glared at all of us. "Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible. And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year." I looked down at the pair of white rabbits I was supposed to turn into slippers. _What on Earth have I learned so far this year?_

Ron looked like he'd just been told to go live in the Forbidden Forest. "Can you imagine me taking exams with this?" He asked me and Harry, holding up his wand, which had just started whistling loudly.

* * *

Three days before our first exam, McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast. "I have good news." Instead of falling silent, the Great Hall erupted.

"Dumbledore's coming back!"

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!"

I laughed when I heard Oliver Wood's voice shout out, "Quidditch matches are back on!"

Once the crowd had quieted down, McGonagall spoke again. "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."

There was another explosion of cheering, and I looked over at the Slytherin table, hardly surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn't joined in. Ron grinned. "It won't matter that we never asked Myrtle, then! Hermione'll probably have all the answers when they wake her up! Mind you, she'll go crazy when she finds out we haven't got exams in three days, since she hasn't studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is until they're over." I burst into laughter at this.

Just then, Ginny came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked worried and nervous, and kept twisting her hands in her lap. Ron helped himself to more porridge, looking over at her. "What's up?" She didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face. "Spit it out."

"I've got to tell you something," she muttered, not looking at us. I frowned, concerned. "What is it?"

Harry looked around, then leaned forward, lowering his voice so that only Ron, Ginny and I could hear him. "Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting oddly?" She drew a deep breath, about to tell us, when Percy showed up. "If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving. I've only just come off patrol duty." Ginny jumped out of her seat as though she'd been electrified, gave him a frightened look, and ran off.

"Percy! She was about to tell us something important!" Percy began choking on his tea. "W-What sort of thing?"

"I just asked her if she'd seen anything odd, and she started to say-"

"Oh-that-that's nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets." I arched an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"Well, er, if you must know, Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was-well, never mind-the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I thought she'd keep her word. It's nothing, really, I'd just rather-" He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and Ron grinned. "What were you doing, Percy? Come on, tell us, we won't laugh."

Percy didn't smile. "Pass me those rolls, Evangeline, I'm starving."

* * *

A chance to visit Myrtle came when we were being escorted to History of Magic by Lockhart. Lockhart, who'd often assured us that the danger had passed, only to be proven wrong immediately, was convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see us all safely down the corridors. His hair wasn't as sleek as usual, and it looked like he'd been up most of the night patrolling the fourth floor.

"Mark my words," he said as he led us around a corner. "The first words out of those poor Petrified people's mouths will be _'It was Hagrid.'_ Frankly, I'm astonished that Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary."

"I agree, sir," said Harry, causing me and Ron to stare at him in shock.

"Thank you, Harry," Lockhart beamed as we waited for a long line of Hufflepuffs to pass. "I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to class and standing guard all night..."

Ron nodded. "That's right." I smiled up at Lockhart. "Why don't you leave us here, sir, we've only got one more corridor to go-"

"You know, what, Lestrade, I think I will. I really should go and prepare my next class." With that, he hurried off, and I snorted derisively, watching him leave. "Prepare his class," Ron sneered. "Gone to curl his hair, more like..." We let the other Gryffindors go ahead of us, and then we ran down a side passage, heading for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "Potter! Lestrade! Weasley! What are you doing?!"

We froze. It was Professor McGonagall, looking sterner than ever. "We-we were-we were going to see-to see-"

"Hermione," Harry said suddenly. "We haven't seen her for ages, Professor. We thought we'd try and sneak into the hospital wing, and tell her that the Mandrakes are nearly ready, and, er, not to worry-"

We bit her lip, but were surprised to see a tear in her eye. "Of course. Of course, I realize this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been...I understand. Yes, you may go visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you have gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey you have my permission." As she turned the corner, we heard her blow her nose.

"That was the best story you've ever come up with." Only now, we had no choice but to go up to the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey we had permission to see Hermione. She let us in rather reluctantly. "There's just no point in talking to a Petrified person."

I had to admit that she had a point as we pulled up chairs beside Hermione's bed. Hermione obviously hadn't the faintest clue that she had any visitors. "Wonder if she did see her attacker, though?" Ron said to us. "Because if he sneaked up on them all, nobody will ever know..." I noticed that Harry wasn't looking at Hermione's face, though. He was studying her right hand. Following his gaze, I saw a piece of paper clenched tightly in her fist.

"Try and get it out," Ron whispered. While Ron and I kept watch, Harry tugged and twisted at the piece of paper until it finally came loose. It was a page from a very old library book.

_**Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land,**_

_**there is none more curious or deadly than the Basilisk, **_

_**known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may**_

_**reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born**_

_**from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of **_

_**killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and**_

_**venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who**_

_** are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death.**_

_**Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, **_

_**and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster,**_

_**which is fatal to it.**_

Beneath this, a single word was written in Hermione's handwriting:

_**Pipes.**_

Harry stared at me and Ron. "This is it. This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber's a basilisk-a giant serpent! That's why I could hear it when nobody else could! It's because I understand Parseltongue!" Harry looked around at the other beds. "The basilisk kills people by looking at them. But nobody's died-because no one did look it in the eye. Colin saw it through his camera. The basilisk burned up all the film inside, but Colin just got Petrified. Justin...Justin must've seen the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick! Nick got the full blast of it, but he can't die again...and Hermione and that Ravenclaw prefect had a mirror next to them. Hermione must have just realized the monster was a basilisk. I'll bet you anything she warned the first person she met to look around corners with a mirror first! And that girl pulled out her mirror-and-"

Ron and I were staring at him. "And Mrs. Norris?"

"...The water. The flood from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, remember? Mrs. Norris must have only seen the reflection."

Harry scanned the page. "'The basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it'! Hagrid's roosters were killed! The Heir of Slytherin didn't want one anywhere near the castle once the Chamber was opened! 'Spiders flee before the basilisk!' It all fits!" Ron frowned. "But...how's the basilisk been getting around? A giant snake...someone would've seen it..."

Harry pointed at the word Hermione had scrawled onto the page. "Pipes. It's been using the plumbing. I've been hearing that voice inside the walls." I grabbed his arm. "The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets! What if it's in-"

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," Harry finished. "This means that I can't be the only Parselmouth in the school. The Heir of Slytherin's one, too. That's how he's been controlling the basilisk."

"Should we go to McGonagall?" Ron asked, and Harry stood up. "Let's go to the staffroom. She'll be there in ten minutes. It's almost break." We ran downstairs to the staffroom, and began pacing, waiting for the bell for break to ring. It never did. Instead, McGonagall's voice came echoing through the corridors, magically magnified.

_**"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staffroom. Immediately, please." **_

Harry stared at me and Ron. "Another attack? Now?"

"What'll we do? Go back to the dormitory?" I looked around, and spotted a large wardrobe full of teacher's cloaks. "In here." Harry nodded. "Good idea. We can hear what's happening, and tell them what we've found out."

We hid inside it, and listened to the sounds of hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staffroom door banged open. From between the cloaks, we watched through a crack in the door. Some of them looked puzzled, others scared. McGonagall took a deep breath. "It has happened. A student has been taken by the monster into the Chamber itself." Snape gripped the arms of his chair very hard, and spoke in a quiet voice, "How can you be sure?"

"The Heir of Slytherin left another message. Right under the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.'" Professor Flitwick burst into tears. Madam Hooch spoke. "Who is it? Which student?"

"Ginny Weasley."

I felt Ron slide down onto the floor of the wardrobe beside me.

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow. This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said..." The door of the staffroom banged open. For a second, I thought it was Dumbledore, but I stifled a groan when I saw Lockhart standing there, beaming around at everyone. "So sorry-dozed off-what have I missed?" Lockhart seemed to have missed the fact that all the other teachers were staring at him with pure hatred in their eyes.

Snape stepped forward. "Just the man. The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last." Lockhart turned pale. Professor Sprout nodded. "That's right, Gilderoy. Weren't you telling me just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"I-well, I-"

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" Professor Flitwick piped up.

"D-did I? I don't recall-"

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," Snape said in his dry voice. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and you should have been given a free rein from the start?" Lockhart stared around, face pale. "I-I really never-you may have misunderstood-"

"We'll leave it to you then, Gilderoy," McGonagall said. "Tonight should be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last."

Lockhart glanced from one teacher to the next. He didn't look at all handsome anymore. In fact, he looked weak-chinned and feeble. "V-very well. I'll-I'll be in my office, getting-getting ready." And he left the room.

"Right, that's got _him_ out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure none of the students have left their dormitories." As one, the teachers rose and left the staffroom.

* * *

I looked over at Ron, Fred, and George who were all staring silently into the fire. Percy had sent a letter to his mother, than shut himself up in his dormitory. Never before had the common room been so crowded, but so quiet. Near sunset, Fred and George went up to their dormitory.

"She knew something," Ron said quietly. This was the first time he'd spoken since the staffroom. "That's why she was taken. It wasn't some stupid thing about Percy at all. That must be why she was-I mean, she was a pureblood. There can't be any other reason." We were quiet for a while, and he spoke again. "Do you think there's any chance that she's not-you know-"

I couldn't see how Ginny could still be alive, and judging from Harry's silence as well, he didn't think she could possibly be alive either. "D'you know what? I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try to get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and that the monster is a basilisk." Harry and I agreed. Nobody tried to stop us as we left the common room.

* * *

As we approached Lockhart's office, we could hear scrapes, thumps, and hurried footsteps. Harry knocked, and a silence fell from inside. Lockhart opened the door a tiny crack and looked out at us. "Oh-Mr. Potter-Mr. Weasley-Miss Lestrade-" he said as he opened the door a bit wider. "I'm rather busy at the moment-if you would be quick-"

"Professor, we've got some information. We think it might help you."

"Er-well-it's not terribly-" Lockhart looked incredibly uncomfortable. "I mean-well-all right-" He opened the door, and we stepped inside. His office had been almost completely stripped. Two huge trunks stood open on the floor. Robes had been hastily folded into one of them; books were crammed into the other. The various pictures on the walls were now stuffed into boxes on his desk.

"Are you going somewhere?" I asked suspiciously.

"Er, well, yes," Lockhart said, taking a life-size poster from the back of his door and rolling it up quickly. "Urgent call-unavoidable-got to go-"

"What about my sister?!"

"Well-as to that-most unfortunate-no one regrets more than I-"

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!"

"Well-I must say-when I took the job-nothing in the job description-didn't expect-" Lockhart was now piling socks on top of his robes.

"You mean you're running away?! After all that stuff you did in your books?!" Harry yelled at him.

"Books can be misleading."

"You wrote them!"

"My dear boy, do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think _I'd_ done all those things. Nobody wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a hairy chin. I mean, come on-"

"So you've just been taking credit for what other people have done?!"

"Harry, Harry, Harry. It's not as simple as all that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down, ask them exactly how they managed to do what they had done. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so that they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms. No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. If you want fame, you have to be prepared for a long, hard slog."

He banged his trunks shut and locked them. "Let's see. Yes, I think that's everything. Only one thing left." He pulled out his wand. "Awfully sorry, you three, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you babbling my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book-" Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his when Harry shouted, _"Expelliarmus!"_

Lockhart was thrown backwards, falling over his trunk, his wand flying out of his hand. I caught it and threw it out the window. "Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," Harry said, kicking Lockhart's trunk aside.

"W-What do you want me to do? I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do." I glared at him as we all pointed our wands at him while he stood up. "You're in luck. We think _we_ know where it is. _And_ what's inside it. Let's go."

We marched Lockhart out of his office, down the nearest stairs, and along the dark corridor where the messages shone on the wall next to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. We sent Lockhart in first, and I smirked when I saw he was shaking. As we followed, I saw Myrtle sitting on the tank of an end toilet. "Oh, it's you," she said upon seeing me, Harry, and Ron. "What do you want this time?"

"To ask you how you died," Harry said. Myrtle grinned, looking as though she'd never been asked a more flattering question before. "Ooh, it was dreadful. It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I was hiding because Olive Hornby had been teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must've been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door to go and tell him to use his own toilet, and then I died."

"How?" I asked.

"No idea," Myrtle shrugged. "I just remember seeing a great, big, pair of yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away...and then I came back. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, I made her sorry that she ever laughed at my glasses..."

"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" Harry asked.

"Somewhere over there," Myrtle said vaguely, pointing towards the sink. Harry, Ron and I hurried over to it, while Lockhart stood well back, a look of terror on his face. Suddenly, we spotted a snake carved into one of the taps. "That sink's never worked," Myrtle said matter-of-factly. Ron and I looked at Harry, who was studying the snake. "Open up." Ron shook his head. "English."

Harry tried again, and this time, a hissing sound came from his throat. The tap began to glow with a bright light, and the next second, it sank out of sight, leaving a pipe wide enough for a man to slide down. Harry looked over at us. "I'm going down there."

"We're going with you."

"Well, you hardly seem to need me. I'll just-" Lockhart was reaching for the doorknob when we pointed our wands at him. "You first."

"W-What good will it do?" Harry jabbed him in the back with his wand, and Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe. "I really don't think-" I kicked him in the back, and he slid out of sight. Harry lowered himself into the pipe, and let go, and Ron and I followed.

The pipe seemed to go on forever. I could hear Lockhart, Harry, and Ron thudding on the curves ahead of me. Finally, the pipe leveled out, and I shot out of the pipe, landing on the stone floor of a damp tunnel large enough to stand up in. "We must be miles under the school."

"Under the lake, probably," Ron said, squinting through the darkness. We turned to stare into the darkness ahead of us. _"Lumos!"_ Harry and I both muttered, and we began walking down the tunnel. "Remember," Harry said, "any sign of movement, close your eyes right away." But the tunnel was absolutely silent, and the first sound we heard was a loud crunch. Ron had stepped on a rat skull. Harry and I lowered our wands to see that the tunnel was littered with animal bones.

"Harry-there's something up there-" Ron said quietly, grabbing Harry's shoulder. We looked and saw something huge and curved lying on the floor of the tunnel ahead of us. It wasn't moving. "Maybe it's asleep." Harry examined it. The light showed a gigantic green snake skin. It was about twenty feet long. "Blimey," Ron said weakly.

Behind us, Lockhart's knees gave way. "Get up," Ron snapped at him, pointing his broken wand at Lockhart. He got up-then dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground. Lockhart straightened up, clutching Ron's wand. "The adventure ends here, you three! I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and how you three tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body-say goodbye to your memories!" He raised Ron's wand over his head. _"Obliviate!"_ The wand exploded, and huge rocks tumbled down from the stone ceiling.

When I stood up, I saw that Harry wasn't with me, Ron and Lockhart. "Harry! Harry, where are you?!" His voice came from the other side of the wall of rock. "I'm over here! Are you okay?"

"Me and Evangeline are okay-This git's not, though-he got blasted by the wand-" Ron kicked Lockhart in the shins. "What now? We can't get through-it'll take ages-" Ron kicked Lockhart again.

"Wait there. Wait with Lockhart and Evangeline. I'll go on...if I'm not back in an hour..." Silence fell for a couple of minutes. "We'll try and shift some of this rock...so you can-so you can get back through. And, Harry..."

"See you in a bit." I could hear Harry's voice shaking, though he tried to hide it. As his footsteps faded away, I bit my lip. _Good luck, Harry. You're gonna need it._


	12. Chapter 12

**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! PLEASE REVIEW!  
**

* * *

**LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR TWO:  
**

**CHAPTER TWELVE:**

* * *

We'd been waiting for almost an hour now, and Ron and I had a job of shifting the rock.

We'd finally managed to clear an opening, when we heard two sets of footsteps running towards us. "Ron! Evangeline! I've got Ginny! She's okay!" Ron cheered, and I grinned. Ron pulled Ginny through the gap, and Harry soon followed. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How-what-where did that bird come from?" A phoenix had just come through the gap after Harry. "He's Dumbledore's."

"How come you've got a sword?!" Harry glanced over at Ginny, who was crying. "I'll explain later."

"But-"

"Later. Where's Lockhart?"

"Over there. He's in a bad way. Come look." Lockhart sat there, humming to himself. "His memory's gone. The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue where he is, or who he is, or who we are. Ron told him to wait here. He's a danger to himself." Lockhart looked up at us, a bemused smile on his face. "Hello. Odd sort of place, isn't this? Do you live here?"

"No," I said, looking over at the others. Harry looked up the long, dark pipe. "Any idea how we're going to get back up there?" Ron, Ginny, and I shook our heads, but the phoenix had landed in front of Harry. "He looks like he wants you to grab hold...but you're way too heavy for a bird to hold..."

"Fawkes isn't an ordinary bird. We've got to hold onto each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart,"

"He means you."

"-you hold Ginny's other hand, and Evangeline, you hold Lockhart's other hand. We did this, and Harry grabbed hold of Fawkes's tail feathers. Suddenly we were zooming upwards, and I could hear Lockhart saying, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!"

We landed on the floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and she stared at us. "You're alive."

"No need to sound so disappointed."

"Oh, well...I just thought...if you'd died down there, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," Myrtle said, blushing.

Ron gagged as we left the bathroom. "Ugh! Harry, I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!" I looked over, and saw Ginny still had tears coursing down her face. "Ginny?"

"Where now?" Ron said, also looking over at Ginny. Harry pointed after Fawkes, who led the way down the corridor, and we soon found ourselves in front of McGonagall's office. Harry raised his hand and knocked.

* * *

There was silence for a few seconds as we stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry's case) blood.

Suddenly, someone screamed. _"Ginny!"_

It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been crying by the fire. Both she and Mr. Weasley ran at her, enfolding her in their arms. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece, smiling, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps. Fawkes flew past Harry, and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder. Just as he landed on Dumbledore's shoulder, Mrs. Weasley hugged me, Harry and Ron in turn. "You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?!"

"I think we'd all like to know that," Professor McGonagall said weakly. Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry, who walked over to the desk, and laid the Sorting Hat, the ruby-encrusted sword, and Riddle's diary upon the desk, then started telling them everything: he told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Hermione had realized he'd been hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how Harry, Ron and I had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how Harry had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom.

"Very well," McGonagall said when he paused, "so you found out where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was-breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add-but how on _Earth_ did you all get out of there alive, Potter?"

Harry told them about Fawkes showing up and the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then he stopped, looking over at Dumbledore, who smiled. "What interests me most is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently hiding in the forests of Albania."

"W-What?! You-Know-Who!? Enchant Ginny?! But Ginny's not-Ginny hasn't been-has she?" I picked up Riddle's diary. "It was this diary. Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen." Dumbledore took the diary, looking down at it. "Brilliant. Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen. Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school...traveled far and wide...sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was unrecognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the young, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

"But, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley. "What's Ginny got to do with-with _him_!?"

"H-His diary! I-I've b-been writing in it, and h-he's been writing back all year-"

_"Ginny!"_ Mr. Weasley looked shocked. "Haven't I taught you _anything_? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself _if you can't see where it keeps its brain! _Why didn't you show the diary to me or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic-"

"I-I didn't know. I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it-"

"Miss Weasley should up to the hospital wing right away," Dumbledore said gently. "This has been quite an ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He opened the door for her. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up." He smiled down at her. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice-I daresay that the basilisk's victims will be waking up at any moment."

"So Hermione's okay!"

"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny." Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, followed by a pale Mr. Weasley.

"You know, Minerva, I believe this all merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go alert the kitchens?" Professor McGonagall nodded. "Right. I'll leave you to deal with these three, shall I?"

"Certainly." As she left, I bit my lip nervously.

"I seem to recall telling you that if you broke any more school rules, I would have to expel you," Dumbledore said, glancing from Harry to Ron. We stared at him in horror. "Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words. All three of you will receive Special Awards for Services to the School and-let me see-yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor." He looked over at Lockhart. "But one of us seems to be keeping rather quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure. Why so modest, Gilderoy?"

"Um, Professor Dumbledore, there was an accident down in the Chamber. Professor Lockhart-"

"Am I a professor? Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, wasn't I?" I scoffed. _You have no idea._

"He tried to perform a Memory Charm and the wand backfired," Ron said quietly.

"Dear me. Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy?"

"Sword? Haven't got a sword. That boy does, though." He pointed at Harry. "He can lend you one."

"Would you and Miss Lestrade mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the hospital wing as well? I'd like a few more words with Harry." Ron and I nodded, looking over our shoulders as we left the room with Lockhart.

* * *

I'd been to lots of Hogwarts feasts, but this one topped them all. Everyone was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night. I didn't know what the best part was: when Hermione ran towards us, screaming, "You solved it! You solved it!"; when Justin came over from the Hufflepuff table, and apologized over and over to Harry for suspecting him; when Hagrid turned up half past three; or when Harry's, mine, and Ron's six hundred points got Gryffindor the House Cup for the second year running; or Professor McGonagall standing up to tell us that all exams had been canceled as a school treat; or Dumbledore telling us that Lockhart wouldn't be coming back next year, due to the fact that he had to go away to get his memory back. Even the teachers joined in the cheering when we heard this.

"Shame," Ron said, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He was started to grow on me."

* * *

The rest of the term passed in a haze. Defense Against the Dark Arts had been canceled, and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. Draco Malfoy was no longer strutting around like he owned the place, instead he looked angry and resentful. On the other hand, Ginny was happy again.

Finally the time came for our journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George and I got a compartment to ourselves. We played Exploding Snap, set off the last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced Disarming each other.

We were almost at King's Cross when Harry turned to Ginny. "Ginny-what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?" She giggled. "Oh, that. Well-Percy's got a _girlfriend_." We all stared at her. "What?!"

"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater. That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. He was so upset when she was-you know-attacked." She looked over at the twins. "You won't tease him, will you?" They were both grinning evilly. "Definitely not."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

The Hogwarts Express finally slowed, and then stopped. Harry wrote out something three times on a piece of paper, and handed one piece to me, one to Hermione, and one to Ron. "This is called a telephone number." He looked at Ron. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer-he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to..."

I handed my piece of paper back to him. "Sorry, Harry. Uncle Renny doesn't have any phone. I'll try and write, though."

"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" Hermione asked Harry as we got off the train. "When they hear what you did this year?" He scoffed. "Proud? Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and didn't manage it? They'll be furious..."

I spotted Renny, and waved goodbye to Harry, Ron and Hermione as I walked over to him.

"The Master is waiting. Shall we go?"

"Yeah." With that, Renny and I stepped through the barrier, heading for home.


End file.
